Off Color Male Monday: Slam (First Book Blogger Book Club)

Slam by Nick Hornby 2007
G. P. Putnam/Penguin Group

Rating: 3.5/5

Incredible Quote "Who doesn't talk to someone in their heads? Who doesn't talk to God, or a pet, or someone they love who has died, or maybe just to themselves? TH [Tony Hawk]...he wasn't me. But he was who I wanted to be, so that makes him the best version of myself, and that can't be a bad thing, to have the best version of yourself standing there on a bedroom wall and watching you. It makes you feel as though you mustn't let yourself down." Sam pgs. 8-9

Sam's life has slammed into a wall. At first everything was going swimmingly, his teachers talked about college and thought he might do well on his GCSEs, his mum had gotten rid of her rubbish boyfriend and he has a girlfriend, Alicia, who could be a model (and aspires to become one). Alicia and Sam are completely enamored with each other, Sam neglects his skateboarding and Alicia no longer hangs with her friends. Neither one of them spend much time with their parents anymore. The only constant in Sam's life since dating Alicia is that he still talks to Tony Hawk, his idol. Then the wall pops up, the wheels come off the truck but luckily, Tony Hawk has advice for every situation (Sam has read his book Hawk-Occupation: Skateboarder several times over). Whether or not it makes sense is another story...

Now ok, the summary of this book is really vague so I'm just going to go ahead and tell you: Sam gets his girlfriend pregnant. I don't think that's a spoiler because that's what the rest of the book is about and it's really obvious from the first few chapters. It's key to this story and what I liked most about the book has to do with the portrayal of dealing with pregnancy from the male perspective. I didn't like how slowly the book dragged on, I appreciated getting to know Sam's life, but I think bits and pieces of his life could have been shared through dialogue and short flashbacks. I also felt like characters outside of Sam and Alicia's family only existed to carry the story along or provide comic relief. Rabbit is hilarious (I honestly can't comprehend someone being so...unintelligent?) but he never develops into an interesting character and I had hoped he would. His story could have been absolutely engrossing but then that would have taken away from Sam's story. There was also some random dreams that I suppose could be called magical realism since Sam goes to the future and what he sees actually happens but...it was bizarre and the story could have moved along just dandy without the dreams.

This is the second book I've read about teen pregnancy from the perspective of the father (The First Part Last which I don't think any book can hold a candle to) and it has a rather dry sense of humor towards the whole situation. Sam is sarcastic and that's my absolute favourite kind of character. He's also 99& authentic teenage boy (I left out 1% because I'm not a boy so I can't be 100% sure) or at least 100% teenager. Sam tries to (literally) run away from his troubles, he makes stupid decisions, he realizes he has made stupid decisions and then he makes stupider decisions. A contrast is shown in that while Sam can run away, running away is not an option for Alicia. I also found it most refreshing that Sam looks up to an athlete but he isn't under any illusion of grandeur, he's not trying to go pro, he just loves being a skater (which is what skateboarders are called don'tcha know) and therefore, he loves Tony Hawk. There's also some class issues occurring. Usually a girl's parents don't think any guy she dates is good enough for her, but Alicia's parents really believe that, they don't think Sam has a future. They look down on Sam and his mother because Sam's mother had him when she was sixteen (about the same age as Alicia and Sam), they think it's a cycle and even though it takes two to tango, Sam gets all the blame. *SPOILER: Highlight to read* The end bit in which they argue over the last name? SO FUNNY. As if a last name like Jones or Burns will determine how far you go in life. I actually laughed out loud at that part. It also made me mad that Alicia's parents thought based on sharing Sam's last name, their grandchild wouldn't be successful.* End of Spoiler* The conversations between Sam and his mother are great, they are both very funny, very sarcastic and it almost makes me wish my mum and I were closer in age.

Slam is a thoughtful, dry tale of teenage pregnancy from the perspective of the guy. This novel stands out not just because of the point of view, but because Sam's love of skateboarding is always present and because Tony Hawk encourages him to be his best self. Although really, Sam doesn't need the encouragement. He's going to get a face full of gravel at times (oo is that skateboarding lingo?), but with the help of Tony Hawk, Alicia, his mum, Roof (awww) and even Mark, he will become an excellent father. There is a very telling conversation (paraphrased) in the book between Alicia and Sam in which Alicia gets mad that Sam always asks 'what are YOU going to do?', she wants him to use 'we, what are we going to do?' but then he observes that 'we didn't get any say in whether or not you are even keeping the baby'. Alicia retorts that it's all up to her until the baby comes out because it's her body. It's not preachy, but it's not entirely subtle either, regardless it's a revealing conversation. This is a story infused with light heartened moments that come as a result of a heavy topic that forces teens to grow up fast. To me this book says that it's our fault, but it's not a death sentence and we do have options.

Disclosure: From the library

PS In the spirit of the novel I tried to insert various bits of slang and English grammar in this review ;) How'd I do?

PPSS This review is for First Book Blogger Book Club which I talked about here and you can find links to the other reviews here, First Book distributes books to children who may not otherwise have a chance to own very many. What an amazing cause.

Some Changes & New Crayons

Before we get to New Crayons I want to prepare you. There's going to be a few more off color reviews popping up. As you may recall off color reviews are ones in which the book is by an author of color but the main character is not of color or the book is by a white author with a diverse supporting cast. Recently, I was offered the opportunity to be a part of an amazing opportunity. The literacy charity First Book which has provided over 80 million books to children in need. So where do I come up and what's it got to do with off color? Well each month a blogger (there are 32 of us I believe) picks a book from the First Book Marketplace (registered organizations and schools that serve low-income families can buy heavily discounted books from there) to read and review. The point is that on a given day all these bloggers will be reviewing YA books. The hope is that educators and librarians who work with teens will learn more about First Book and register with them. I wanted to participate because it's about giving books to kids who many not get that many, and that means the world to me. A bonus was that there are several diverse titles in the collection, I'm going to have a hard time narrowing down which book to choose when it's my turn! In short, some bloggers will pick books with white main characters and I will review them here. I hope that there will be diverse secondary characters as well (not so in this first book choice but maybe the next one :) You'll learn more tomorrow in my first review.

I've also decided to s-l-o-w-l-y start including off color reviews as books where the main character is Jewish (in heritage and/or religion). Why? Because I don't see many of those books being reviewed and I don't go to school with kids who are openly Jewish (i.e. i have no idea if they actually are because it's not mentioned) and I want to learn more about that culture and religion. I've already got several in my TBR on Goodreads so I should hop to it (and besides a few of them feature the main character being half poc, half Jewish. Like Orchards by Holly Thompson or I Wanna Be Your Shoebox by Cristina Garcia) I hope you don't mind, but hey it is my blog ;) Seriously though, I welcome your input on the subject.

Back to New Crayons!

Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang

Athletic and strong willed, Princess Emmajin's determined to do what no woman has done before: become a warrior in the army of her grandfather, the Great Khan Khubilai. In the Mongol world the only way to achieve respect is to show bravery and win glory on the battlefield. The last thing she wants is the distraction of the foreigner Marco Polo, who challenges her beliefs in the gardens of Xanadu. Marco has no skills in the "manly arts" of the Mongols: horse racing, archery, and wrestling. Still, he charms the Khan with his wit and story-telling. Emmajin sees a different Marco as they travel across 13th-century China, hunting 'dragons' and fighting elephant-back warriors. Now she faces a different battle as she struggles with her attraction towards Marco and her incredible goal of winning fame as a soldier.

-Won from Rebecca's Book Blog. whoo-hoo! Already read and enjoyed :) Review March 8th. Thank you Rebecca & Random House!

From the author

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.

-Yes I'm friends with this author and OMG yes I was included in the acknowledgements! Ahhhh. Anyway *calms down* As I type this my camera's dead, but otherwise I would take a picture of this gorgeous cover. It's the UK version and it has this to-die-for gold foil that makes the book POP. I'm in love (and I haven't even had a chance to red it yet, I'm waiting for next week when I get out of school early so I can carve a few hours out of my day). Thank you Kaz!

The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee Frazier

The close relationship of a pair of biracial twins is tested when their grandmother enters them in a pageant for African American girls in this new story from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner Sundee T. Frazier.

When Minerva and Keira King were born, they made headlines: Keira is black like Mama, but Minni is white like Daddy. Together the family might look like part of a chessboard row, but they are first and foremost the close-knit Kings. Then Grandmother Johnson calls, to invite the twins down South to compete for the title of Miss Black Pearl Preteen of America.

Minni dreads the spotlight, but Keira assures her that together they'll get through their stay with Grandmother Johnson. But when grandmother's bias against Keira reveals itself, Keira pulls away from her twin. Minni has always believed that no matter how different she and Keira are, they share a deep bond of the heart. Now she'll find out the truth.

-We are studying genetics in science class and we briefly discussed how twins can be born looking white and black if they have white ancestors in their parents' past and/or have biracial parents. Which reminded me of Passing by Nella Larsen and how both Gertrude and Clare were terrified that their children would be born dark-skinned even though they were both light. Getrude says something like 'you never know how our kids are going to turn out' (meaning how they're going to look. They could be extremely light or darker than you expected. Obviously it doesn't matter but back then it did. And some people today are still stuck thinking light is better). Anyhoo, all that rambling is meant to convey that I'm very eager to read this book. Thank you Ms. Frazier!


What wonderful books did you get this week? Do you have any changes being made to your blog?

2011 Quirky Brown Reading Challenge

By far one of the toughest challenges, Terri has created the Quirky Brown Reading Challenge which forces readers to find books that depict another side of the usual 'Black Experience'. Every Black person has some shared experiences, but also very different and unique ones and this challenge represents that. I think all the books had to be a Black author but there were two books I put on here even though they were by white authors because they sounded so intriguing! I just won't count them.

I, of course, tried to stick with YA/MG and it was not easy! This is all I've got. I counted historical fiction but I'm not sure if fantasy counts...

1. The Kingdom on the Waves (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume 2) by M.T. Anderson (the first book had a very unique and scientific twist on slavery, riveting)

2. Angel's Grace by Tracey Baptiste (Trinidadian main character)

3. Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers (magical realism)

4. Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet by Sherri L. Smith (Chinese American and African American)

5. A La Carte by Tanita Davis (Female vegetarian aspiring-chef)

6. The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee Frazier (biracial twins-one looks white, one looks Black, family drama!)

7. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (cerebral palsy)

8. Jimi & Me by Jamie Adoff (It's Jimi Hendrix-he defies all stereotypes)

9. Arilla Sun Down by Virginia Hamilton (Black and Native American. Good kind of different)

10. Chess Rumble by Greg Neri (Black people playing chess)

11. The Lion Hunter by Elizabeth E. Wein (Historical spy thriller)

My recommendations (already read and/or on the list for another challenge so I don't count them)

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen

The Kayla Chronicles by Sherri Winston

The Making of Dr. Truelove by Derrick Barnes

Elated Over Eleven: Ashley Hope Perez

Today I have an interview with Ashley Hope Perez, author of the upcoming What Can't Wait (March 1, 2011). I devoured the book in about two sittings and just..wow. It's one of my favorite debuts of the year, I thought it was excellent. My review will be up on the release date so I'll save the gushing. But it's not just me who has mad love for this book. A lot of other people do too.

If you want to see why all the cool kids are talking about this book, read on ;)

Can you tell us about What Can't Wait?

Seventeen-year-old Marisa Moreno has smarts and plenty of promise, but she’s marooned in a broken-down Houston neighborhood—and in a Mexican immigrant family where making ends meet matters more than making it to college. At school, it's another story. Marisa's calc teacher expects her to ace the AP test and to get into an engineering program in Austin—a city that seems unimaginably far away. When her home life becomes unbearable, Marisa seeks comfort elsewhere—and suddenly neither her best friend nor boyfriend can get through to her. Caught between the expectations of two different worlds and carrying a dark secret, Marisa will have to decide what can't wait.

In addition to this description—cribbed from the awesome copy generated by my publisher, Carolrhoda Lab—I’d like to add that the book wouldn’t exist without my former students at Chávez High School, to whom the book is dedicated. It’s not based on any specific student’s experiences, but the stories they shared with me shaped Marisa’s world and her relationships. I tried to write the novel my students told me they wanted to read.

It's so awesome that as a teacher you actually listened to your students and later on wrote a book for them! I think the book is a combination of some of the experiences students go through in high school and as a teacher, I must admit to being surprised at how you treated the students in your book with respect. Most of my teachers mock us or could care less (with notable exceptions of course).

How did you break into publishing? You have two releases coming up, one in 2011 and one in 2012. Congrats!

Thank you! My agent, Steven Chudney, has been a wonderful advocate. It took a while for us to find the right publisher, but Carolrhoda Lab has been a great home for my writing. I was fortunate enough to get a two-book deal, which means that I get to continue working with the same editor (Andrew Karre). I love continuity, so this is a real blessing for me. For now, though, it’s all about What Can’t Wait!

As for finding an agent... it’s a difficult and humbling process. I do not have any horror stories of cold or callous responses from agents, though. While I got some form rejections, I also received kind and thoughtful notes wishing me well and offering suggestions. I was surprised by the generally positive response even from those agents who passed on the book. The only explanation I’ve come up with is that, because I handpicked the agents I queried, they were more sympathetic to my project than others less familiar with edgy YA might have been.

Like Marisa, some teens can relate to being told to put their education off in order to put family first. Other teens might be surprised by that. How will those teens connect to this story?

A lot of people focus on the importance of teen readers finding a reflection of their own experiences in YA novels. This is definitely important, and I did want to capture a story that my students in Houston felt they hadn’t encountered in books. But all fiction, YA included, also can serve as a way into worlds and experiences outside what we as readers know. This is how it is possible for me to love, for example, a book like Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn. The protag’s rich-girl-in-San-Francisco life couldn’t be more different from my own (or my life as a teen), but Cyd’s voice is honest and fresh, and her struggles are still compelling.

So my hope is that teens with support for education in their family will nevertheless find Marisa’s experiences engrossing.

I think this book is particularly timely for sophomores and juniors and maybe even seniors (even though they should all be done with the college process by now!). I for one did not realize that there were some families that valued family over eudcation, everything else yes, but not education. Marisa has to make an increidbely tough choice that many of us won't have to make and this book will definitely be an eye-opening and engaging read for anyone.

What book would your book date?

I would set What Can’t Wait up with Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood. Sammy and Marisa may come from different communities and different decades, but they would definitely understand each other’s challenges and commitments. If my book were feeling a little wilder, I’d set it up with Matt de la Peña’s Ball Don’t Lie for a dose of Los Angeles and a life even rougher than Marisa’s.

Ahh Sammy and Juliana would definitely get Marisa! It's fitting, different times but similar challenges and distinctive, great main characters with strong voices. I still need to read Ball Don't Lie. *le sigh*

Did your Teach for America experience influence your writing of What Can't Wait or have any other influence on you? It's an amazing program.

TFA is indeed a phenomenal program. After working in numerous education-related settings, I would still say that the best teaching training I received came from TFA. I actually stayed on in my school after my TFA commitment, and I am still very much involved in education issues and in touch with my former students from 10th, 11th, 12th, ESL, and AP Lit classes (thank you, Facebook).

In terms of What Can’t Wait, one of Marisa’s teachers, Ms. Ford, reflects the TFA philosophy of challenging all students from all backgrounds to achieve academic success. While she motivates Marisa in many ways, Ms. Ford also drives her nuts, especially through her failure to recognize the challenges and obstacles Marisa faces outside the classroom. This is something of a delicate subject because some might say that there is a fine line between understanding a student’s challenges and lowering expectations. I found that students struggling to balance school and outside demands were a lot more responsive when I asked them first to tell me what was going on and then we problem-solved how they could still fulfill the expectations of the course. Often we teachers begin with what needs to get done and only ask about students’ situations as an afterthought.

First of all, I love how some teachers are willing to be friends on Facebook, I really do like that :) More importantly I admire all the TFA teachers for sticking with such a tough program that ultimately sounds rewarding. You've hit on something that I don't think is talked about much when talking about teachers. Being understanding of a student's situation while still mainting high expectations, it's a very, very delciate balance. Hopefully more teachers will adopt the method of asking first, and then following up on what needs to be done, not making the situaion of each student an afterthought.

What are some of your current favorite YA reads? What fellow '11 debuts are you looking forward to?

Some YA titles I’ve loved recently are: Before I Die by Jenny Downham, Imani All Mine by Connie Porter, Every Time a Rainbow Dies by Rita Williams-Garcia, How to Build a House by Dana Reindhardt, Looking for Alaska by John Green, and Madapple by Christina Ledlum. I hate that I’m leaving so many books out, so I’ll just add a few more: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, and The First Part Last by Angela Johnson.

For 2011 debuts, I’m especially looking forward to reading Something Like Hope by Shawn Goodman and The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. The Elevensies site is a great place to learn about some of the authors debuting in 2011.

What two PoC characters would you love to hang out?

I would love to see Reason from Justine Larbalestier’s Magic or Madness series spend an afternoon with Janie from Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. This would be while Reason is pregnant. If anybody would listen to Reason’s story without judging, it’d be Janie.

What is one issue you have with YA/MG? What is something you love about YA/MG?

I think writing MG must be harder than writing YA, because the books need to feel real without being too bleak or too explicit. With teen readers, I don’t really worry about what I will “expose” them to; with MG readers, that would have to be a consideration. Still, there are many MG titles I love. Some recent favorites include Gennifer Choldenko’s Notes from a Liar and Her Dog, Christopher Paul Curtis’s Elijah of Buxton, and Leslie Connor’s Waiting for Normal.

I love how YA and MG books are often the gateway “drugs” to a life-long addiction to reading. As an adult who still reads YA, books for teens make me realize how important it is to go on with the project of becoming oneself, which is what being an adolescent is all about.

9. Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

Listen to a great public radio interview here

Folks can also visit my website, www.ashleyperez.com, where I have a blog, many reviews of YA books, and an excerpt of What Can’t Wait as well as The Knife and the Butterfly, my next novel. Readers can also find me at Goodreads, Facebook, or Twitter. Also email: novels@ashleyperez.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Thank you so much for stopping by Ashley! Pre-order

Throwback Thursday: Sister Chicas

Sister Chicas by Lisa Alvarado, Ann Hagman Cardinal and Jane Alberdeston Coralin 2006

New American Library/Penguin Group

Rating: 2.5/5

IQ "And then the miraculous happened. It was like the seas parted or the sky opened up and cats and dogs rained down on my head. The vise that was my mouth suddenly words like bottle rockets exploded between my teeth and flew out of my mouth. There was nothing I could do to stop them" Taina pg. 13

Taina, Graciela and Elena (Leni) are sister chicas. Taina's turning fifteen and her mother is throwing her a quinceanera, something she's been dreading. Especially because the one guy (Yusef) she wants by her side is someone Mami wouldn't approve of, at all. Graciela's (Grachi) parents have sacrificed so much to give her the best they could so she naturally needs to pay them back. She will do so by becoming a teacher and making them proud. But then her college professor offers an amazing opportunity to pursue a writing career. Leni is a rebel who isn't big on celebrating her half Puerto Rican heritage after the death of her father. The Sister Chicas are trying to encourage her to learn more about her heritage and be proud of it, but Leni isn't so sure she'd be accepted and the memories/new knowledge might be too painful. Of course there is guy drama. Grachi has to sort through new feelings about an old friend and Leni's childhood friend has turned into a handsome aspiring rock star. When did all this happen?

These authors love metaphors. I like metaphors too, but I think there was one on every other page. Some of them just made no sense. For example, "the room's air suddenly the texture of a daisy touched by a little girl's fingers." (pg. 67). What does that even mean??? They also love emphasizing that these girls are SISTER CHICAS BUT NOT RELATED (in case you didn't get that from the title or the synopsis or the first chapter). Don't let me forget about the flashbacks. Just no. I understand having a few flashbacks here and there to better develop a character, but like metaphors, the flashbacks are overused. They are long and not always important. I think the authors should have tried to show more creative ways of making the same point of the flashback without the chapter long flashbacks. Plus the transitions from past to present were confusing. There were also too many inconsequential details that started to get on my nerves, little statements like "it might be getting dark, but I'm not blind!" (pg. 50) and "force a smile through my black lipstick." (pg. 44) I know that's not really a big deal, but the book was dragging on as it was so I wasn't in the mood for these minor details. Finally, I didn't understand why Taina was so reluctant to have a quinceanera. Or at least, I understood why someone wouldn't want one but she never artfully articulated why SHE did not want one. She just went on and on about Yusef, who we are told is wonderful and they are in love (he's seventeen and going to attend college in Chicago, how perfect. *sorry snappiness*). And why didn't Taina have any friends her own age? Same with Grachi? Leni was a loner but those other two were supposed to be really nice and cheerful...bizarre.

I did appreciate such a strong friendship, and I though the big fight between the girls was genuine. Most importantly each girl made her point clear about why she was upset and the friendship wasn't immediately saved. I really liked Grachi's storyline, feeling so guilty over wanting to pursue her passion even though it wasn't exactly what she thought her parents wanted (or deserved). Maybe I just happened to read her story at the right time in my life, but she was stressed over all her commitments (attending UIC, tutoring, working part-time at a bookstore) and I'm starting to get stressed over various summer program applications/class registrations. None of the girls are particularly noteworthy, but I found Grachi's voice to be the strongest. She has this quote that I could definitely relate to "other Graciela said yes to Phaedra Mondragon. The least she could've done was stick around long enough to help with this. I guess she must've stayed on the train and kept going. There's only me left, and this me is having a hard time with all of this." (pg. 84)The whole two split personalities/two different sides of a person and then watching that side of you/your personality fade to leave you to pick up the pieces? Classic. My favorite part was all the details of Chicago. The setting is present, but it's not big enough to be a character in and of itself. However it's there and I appreciated it. From mentions of the el to the girls attending Whitney Young High School, walking to Logan Square (which is where my Papi grew up is one of my favorite neighborhoods) and waiting for the bus, it made me happy :) I also thought the girls' hangout was described in excellent detail and I wish I had a local cafe like El Rinconcito (there is an actual restaurant in Logan Square called El Rinconcito Cubano), it sounds heavenly. The girls gather there every Thursday to catch up, the sip cafes con leche and chat with the charming owner, Don Ramiro. I'm not sure if all the places mentioned should use the real names though...

Sister Chicas is a genial tale of the close friendship between three girls. While the origin of their friendship is not described in much detail (and I still find it hard to believe that a fifteen year old would be friends with a freshman in college whom she had never met before high school), it is a strong one that faces authentic ups and downs. Each girl has a distinctive personality, one that every girl, Latina or not, can see a little of herself in them. Leni does have some funny moments, although I'm not so sure all the humor will be understand by people who don't know much about Latin culture such as "[I] made it through the round of obligatory dances with my arranged caballero date, Mario, who, by the way, is not a bad dancer. Could have fooled me! Underneath that slicked-back 1950s hair and railroad track of braces beats the rhythm of Tito Puente!" (pg. 228).That made me personally laugh out loud, but I'm not sure it would amuse everyone. Less usage of metaphors, smoother transitions from past to present and less details would make the story flow better. A good chica/chick lit read with the lovely backdrop of diverse Chicago.

Disclosure: Received from Mardel. Thank you so much!

Throwback Thursday is hosted by Take Me Away

Waiting on Wednesday: Fury of the Phoenix

Hosted by Breaking the Spine (no spoilers)


Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon

Release Date: March 29, 2011 (ignore Goodreads' April 29th date)

In this companion novel, seventeen-year-old Ai Ling—her powers stronger than ever—stows away aboard a cargo ship in order to protect devastatingly handsome Chen Yong during his quest to locate his father. Masquerading as brother and sister, Ai Ling and Chen Yong face demonic predators on the ocean voyage, but their biggest threat comes from the kingdom of the dead. Part supernatural page-turner, part love story, and altogether stirring, Fury of the Phoenix further heralds the arrival of Cindy Pon as a stellar author of paranormal romance and fantasy.

-I am DYING to read this book but school is keeping me too busy. ahfajflkadjfklaljfkla. I'm determined to find a chunk of time this Friday night to read this entire book. I didn't expect to receive an ARC since I rarely receive them from publishers but I did get one! (Sorry I just didn't expect to get an ARC of a book I was so highly anticipating so I'm rather excited, bouncing off the walls is the apt way of describing it). Thank you HarperCollins! And if you haven't read Silver Phoenix yet, read it pronto. And please don't let the cover deter you from picking up this sequel.

Male Monday: How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy

How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen (ARC)
Balzar + Bray/HarperCollins

Release Date: March 1, 2011

Rating: 4.5/5

IQ "But around two o'clock those curls droop and dangle as if Sergio's growing black noodles on his forehead and girls love that too. Once I tried some of that mousse stuff in my afro. I squirted a pile of that extra hold foam in my hand and rubbed it through my hair. For ten minutes, I waited for black noodles to dangle on my forehead. Instead my afro held an old-school slant as if me and Frederick Douglass had the same barber." Lamar pg. 24

Don't ask me why but the Incredible Quote tickled me pink, I actually burst out laughing. well ok, I know why. I've always been amused by Frederick Douglas's' hair, extraordinary guy, but oh man, that hair. *shakes head* Reminds me of Cornel West too. Anyway this book is about Lamar who is the baddest, maddest bowler at Striker's Bowling Paradise. He is King of Strikers. Sure Lamar is one of the best bowlers around, but he's not so great with girls, in fact he's constantly striking out with them. While Lamar is doing all his bowling, he also has to deal with his older brother, Xavier the Basketball Savior. Xavier is revered in their hometown of Coffin, Indiana and Lamar's father is quick to go to Xavier's basketball games and go over strategy with him, but it's been years since he bowled with Lamar. Lamar's tired of being ignored so when bad boy Billy Jenks invites him to take part in his bowling hustle, he accepts. Here's a way to make enough money doing something Lamar loves in order to buy a Pro Thunder (expensive pro ball) and maybe even impress his hero, famous bowler, Bubba Sparks. Oh and Lamar just may get the girl.

Some of the 'lingo' is rather cheesy in this book. In fact, at times it seemed outdated. On the very first page Lamar is listening to his best friend Sergio 'bump his gums'. I've never heard that expression before so I asked my dad who knows a lot of slang. He said that expression was older than he was (he grew up in the '80s), but hey, maybe it's popular in Indiana? There are a few other examples of really cheesy dialogue/comebacks but in the end, I think it all adds to Lamar's charm. I was amazed at Lamar's confidence, but being totally honest, it's not at all surprising. I think (for some reason) it's a lot less surprising to see a young and confident main character. In middle school, I think many guys think they are invincible, whereas many girls are a bit shyer. Regardless, Lamar reminded me of my brother and all the other young guys I know who love to trash talk. Although I did think Lamar's constant strutting was a bit much. The author juggles a lot of storylines and I do think the ball was dropped a few times. Each storyline is interesting and starts off well developed, but a couple were quickly wrapped up, much of the action occurring off the page (*cough* Sergio and Tasha *cough*). Lamar and his father clearly have issues they need to work out and everything seemed to get really happy really fast, but Lamar is just so gosh-darn adorable that you can't help but want him to have a cheesy ol' neat ending.

As you can probably tell, I love Lamar. I want to meet Lamar (actually I've already met Lamar and been annoyed by him but guys like Lamar seem less annoying in books). Lamar is one of the most well rounded characters I've come across. He has seriously debilitating asthma and he managed to tug at my heartstrings when he wanted to play soccer to impress a girl (Makeeda), but his doctor said that based on his health that was just not possible. I love soccer so I was able to sympathize with wanting to play (just not for the same reason) and I would be crushed too if I was told I couldn't play because of asthma. Lamar has two personalities, at home he is quiet, afraid of his brother, trying to help out his dad anyway he can since money is tight. Xavier borders on only being a jerk, with no shot at redemption, but there are enough minor details given to make Xavier slightly more well rounded. Lamar lives in absolute terror of X and it's not unjust, X has anger management and refuses to take his medication. But X's anger management is not used as an excuse for his meanness towards his brother and I appreciated that X does not get off easy. A person can only take so much before they snap and Lamar's breaking point is realistic and frustrating. Readers will be covering their eyes hoping that Lamar will not actually go through with his plan (encouraged by Billy Jenks), but unable to look away.

How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy is a jolly, globful of laugh-loud (as Lamar would say) read that still manages to effectively portray more serious topics. Lamar's mother has died and his father has not exactly been a comforting presence to either of his boys. It was refreshing to see a contemporary book where the father wasn't outwardly cruel, instead Lamar's father is drowning. He's so busy working not just to keep food on the table, but to pay for a few luxuries. Lamar is working class/middle class, he's not going to go hungry, but his dad works a lot to make sure Lamar can bowl and Xavier can continue to play basketball. Unfortunately, he doesn't help Lamar with much else. There are underlying class issues as well. Lamar's best friend, Sergio is rich and he can't understand why Lamar joins in Billy's bowling hustle. But many readers can understand it. Sergio gets a lot of extra things, pocket money, nice clothes, two loving parents, etc. Lamar has his bowling pass and the same old clothes, who wouldn't get tired of always being around someone who has so much more? I had feared that Lamar would fall into a pity me trap since he seems relatively innocent but he gets himself into some severe (well severe for a thirteen year old) scraps and he is held accountable. The consequences kind of stink, even though they are realistic. In addition to Lamar's trash talking about his bowling skills (he's so proud of his bowling, awww), his falling in-like with Makeeda is great (it's so wrong but I almost cried when he saw Makeeda who has apparently changed significantly since he last saw her and he called her 'Fivehead' to her face. After he tried to step to her. Oh Lamar :) I want more books like this. Funny with a more unusual sport played and a diverse cast. Sergio is Latino, Lamar is Black, but their story is universal. In fact, there are only slight hints that Lamar is Black and I love that.

Disclosure: Received from Zetta, thank you!

African American Read-In: Bleeding Violet

Hosted by Doret, Edi and I.

Yay it's time for the African American Read-In! You voted on Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves so we're discussing it all day over here and on Twitter, use the hashtag #BleedingViolet. If you don't mind, I'll post Twitter comments on this post too :) Drop on over anytime throughout the day. I (hopefully) installed a new commenting system so that should make things easier... (please let me know if IntenseDebate installed). Anyway, let's discuss! To start us off we have three questions. Feel free to reply to the questions, ask your own, link to your reviews, etc. I want to read a few reviews and maybe discuss points brought up in them. Around noon or so central time, I'll probably post some more questions and at 6 PM CT, it will be completely open forum. Anything mentioned in the book is fair game to be discussed. Be as silly, serious or bizarre as you would like. Make Hanna proud.

1. The mother-daughter relationship of Hanna and Rosalee. Did you like it, dislike it? Did a particular scene bother you especially? Did a particular scene make your heart melt in the most unexpected way? Personally, right away I figured things would be OK when Rosalee made Hanna wear raingear on her way to school but then I started to worry..

2. Who would win in a verbal exchange-Hanna's or Wyatt's mom? Oooo tough one. I'ma go with Rosalee though. She's got ice in her veins!

3. Swan. Did Swan creep you out? Is there some hidden meaning behind this wooden Swan carving? Personally I'm not one to find deeper meanings in things, but I love it when other people do. To me, Swan just makes Hanna feel closer to Poppa....

4. Did you like or dislike Hanna? Did you feel you could trust her or were you waiting for the moment when this would be revealed as a psychotic episode?

Take it away!

Edi said: Yeah, that swan was a bit random! In any other book it seemed odd, but what wasn't odd in this book? Odd was the new normal!
Did you know swans mate for life? I think with all the people who kept leaving Hanna, the Swan was something that would always be there for her. Wyatt and her mom left her and came back, but Swan would always be there.

Next set of questions

1. Did Hanna act like a high school student to you?

2. Do you want to see more main characters like Hanna, independent, carefree about sex? Would you read more books with female main characters confident in/about their sexuality?

Exclusively Chloe

Exclusively Chloe by J.A. Yang 2009
Speak/Penguin Group

Rating: 3/5

IQ "'So you don't care that I'm a nobody?' [Jack]
'Does my being famous mean I'm somebody?'" Chloe pg. 236

Chloe-Grace is a star. Not in her own right, but by association. Her mother is the queen of Hollywood, a major award winner, and her father was a '90s hit wonder. They are the picture perfect couple and when they decide to adopt a child from China, they begin an international adoption craze amongst celebrities. Chloe-Grace is the child they bring back and she's never wondered about her biological parents. Until her father cheats on her mother and the paparazzi won't leave Chloe alone. Plus her mother is going out to the club every night. Chloe misses her parents and she's tired of all the media attention, so she decides to have a 'make under' and go to a 'normal' high school. She changes up her appearance slightly and also opens up a search for her biological parents. But no matter how famous you are or aren't, drama is never far behind when it comes to high school.

Contrary to the back of the book, Chloe does not decide to undergo a makeunder until halfway through the book. It wasn't boring per se, but there was a lot of set up occurring and after awhile I just wanted her to leave her wealthy school and annoying best friend, Rachelle and get on with switching high schools. What's worse is that there are maybe 3-4 chapters dealing with Chloe's new life and then we hurtle towards the ending. All of a sudden, all this drama erupts and then everything is solved a chapter later. Unfortunately, unlike real life, this book ends in a cheery, ultra-neat way. I was hoping for a bit more complexity or at least some loose strings. What's worse is that there's a cheesy epilogue. What really ticked me off was *SPOILER: HIGHLIGHT TO READ: the meeting with Chloe's parents. They were just oh-so-warm and yet they never tried to contact her once and then we get cheated out of reading their conversation. Chloe just tells us that they talked for hours. I was expecting it to be a bit more intense/awkward/emotional but it's glossed over and that really bothered me.* END OF SPOILER. I was also a bit bothered by the fact that Chloe is in love with Jack by the end of the book. Jack whom, as a character, is flatter than a pancake. Angelic personality so of course they'd be in love right? No. All the other characters are equally one-dimensional, I kept expecting Rachelle and Chloe to have a fight because Rachelle is not what I would call best-friend material but to each her own. Furthermore, like Yan, I kept expecting Vicki to do something horrible, I don't know if that was just me being so wary of people or if the writing made it seem like something was going down...

I did like that this is an example of what I want to see more of: diverse YA chick lit. I was expecting to not like Chloe but she could have been far more monstrous than she was. She's obviously used to being famous and she embraces the perks of fame, but she doesn't try to hog the spotlight and certainly doesn't mind spending a quiet night at home. Sure she could annoy the reader by how she views 'ordinary' people as boring, but that makes the book and Chloe, seem more genuine. "Vickie was saying this almost in admiration, as if she thought I was a strong person for having a crazy life or something. I knew she was giving me words of encouragement, but I didn't feel strong at all. Just overwhelmed." (pg. 97). That quote shows how down-to-earth Chloe is. While most of the secondary characters were one dimensional, I did really like Luther. Luther is the typical over-the-top makeup artist, but I was so entertained by his excitement over playing Chloe's fake dad that I didn't mind.

Exclusively Chloe is nothing extraordinary, but it delivers on being a relaxing read, a good choice for when one is in-between some heavier books. The diverse, over-the-top, secondary characters make this book both a tad disappointing and more entertaining. Plus it's the first book I've ever read that gives an idea of what life might be like for the adopted children of celebrities. There were tiny little details that made me smile too, like how Chloe's parents decorated her room in a 'Chinese style' when she was younger. It's a cute idea but it made me shake my head. The book starts off slow and ends too fast and clean, and Chloe falls in love way too quickly. While avid fans of chick lit may not see anything new in this plot, this was a new-to-me read and I can definitely see why people like chick lit.

Disclosure: Bought :)

Elated Over Eleven: Bettina Restrepo (+ CONTEST)

Today I am Elated to present 2011 debut author Bettina Restrepo, author of Illegal. Welcome Bettina!

Illegal releases on March 8th and practically promises to be a controversial read. I can't stand that word when it refers to people 'illegal.' Ugh. Anyway, the book has already received some praise-worthy reviews and seems to be a popular debut that we in the book blogging world are all waiting for :) With that thought, take it away Bettina.

Please tell us a little about Illegal

14 yr old Nora waits for her father to come back to Mexico so that her life can begin again. He’s working a construction job in Texas and occasionally calls and sends money back to their withering village in Cedula, Mexico. When the phone call and the money stop, Nora creates a plan to cross the border to find him. It’s a coming of age story crossed with illegal immigration. It’s also a spiritual exploration many issues including right vs wrong, God, prejudice, and the forgotten people of society.

I love books where there's more to them then meets the eye. Based on the cover and Amazon/Goodreads summaries I would have just thought it dealt with prejudice and illegal immigration but the fact that it's also a spiritual exploration has piqued my interest even more! There's not much spiritual anything in YA.

How did you break into publishing?

My first story, Elevator Rules, appeared in Highlights for Children in 2003. I broke into publishing by taking classes, rewriting, and investing in myself and my writing.


You are Colombian and yet you chose to write about a Mexican girl's immigration experience. Is there a reason as to why you wanted to make the main character come from a culture different from your own?

I didn’t choose Nora, she chose me. I used to work as an auditor for a chain of Hispanic Supermarkets. I traveled to these locations and the people intoxicated me. One day while traveling, I saw a little girl on the side of the road and I wondered what her story was. She became Nora. While Nora is Mexican, I believe this story could be about any ethnicity.

I explore my Colombian roots in my next YA book, Telenovela. A comic look at a Colombian exchange student in an American High School who isn’t quite what she seems.

Very true, this story could be about any ethnicity, especially since many people come on student visas or work visas and then stay after the visas expire. Not to get too far ahead of myself but Telenovela already has a fabulous title and sounds marvelous :)

What book would your book date?

Illegal is a contemporary book set in Houston, Texas (although really, it could be anytown USA). I believe House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, and Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos. All are immigrant stories, but the House on Mango Street is written in lyrical prose and is absolutely stunning.

You grew up speaking Spanish and German. What are the benefits of coming from a bi-cultural home?

You have more holidays to celebrate, more languages and cultures top make your own, and the world is smaller and more accessible. It can also make you a stutterer (like I did throughout kindergarten when I didn’t know which language went where).

Couldn't have said it better myself, hooray for bicultural people! (and every other ethnic background/mix. Hooray for mixed up people!). While it can be challenging to balance both cultures I do love the varying perspectives I get from both and the world does seem more accessible. Since only one parent speaks another language, I'm not fortunate enough to have grown up bilingual so I envy you that! I do hope you weren't teased for stuttering, that infuriates me (the teasing, not stuttering).

What are some of your current favorite YA reads? What fellow '11 debuts are you looking forward to?

I adore John Green with his use of humor and twisting plot lines. He is my secret literary boyfriend (although he doesn’t know it). Maggie Stiefvater, Jenny Moss, Michelle Zink. Too many to mention!

We have a great class at www.classof2k11.com - so choosing just one is way hard. I can’t wait to get my hands on The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner, or Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach.

What two PoC characters would you love to hang out?

I don’t do drama or whiny girls. I think I would like to hang out with Hassan from An Abundance of Katherines because he makes me laugh and perhaps Jenna Fox (to see what is like to rebuild a life) from the Adoration of Jenna Fox.

What is one issue you have with YA/MG? What is something you love about YA/MG?

Like I said above – I hate whiny characters who don’t DO anything. To me, YA is just like an adult read with a teen character. Nobody likes a whiner, and I see too many whiners. Teens are smart and saavy.

What I love about YA is that teens are smart and savvy, but inexperienced with life. Whatever they feel is at the extreme because it is the first time it happens and they don’t have the life experience to know if it will get better or worse. I also love YA because teens love greater and stronger than anyone else I know.

I agree on the dislike of whiny characters who don't redeem themselves in any way, shape or form. I love how you express YA 'an adult read with a teen character' combined with our inexperience with life. It's like that Eleanore Roosevelt quote about women ("A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water"), but it applies to teenagers too. We are vulnerable creatures and we never know how strong we are until we are pushed to our limit. Or at least, I feel that way. And it doesn't hurt for a YA author to give us compliments ;)

Where can readers find out more about you and your books? Website http://www.bettinarestrepo.com/

Facebook: bettinarestrepo

Contest details! What Does It Mean to Be Illegal?

Dear Readers, if you would like to participate in a signed giveaway of Illegal (there are 5 signed copies), please answer the following question; Would you break the law to find your family across a foreign border?

Please comment with your answer, town/state or country (international is allowed, sweet!). The winner will be announced on April 1 and the winner must contact Ms. Restrepo with their mailing address.

Personally: I would

Can't wait to read everyone else's answers! Oh and if you say no, could you explain why not?

Throwback Thursday: Honey Blonde Chica

Honey Blonde Chica by Michele Serros 2006
Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division

Rating: 3/5

IQ "Maybe it would be good if Villanueva had a dress code, despite what Dee Dee thought. Something like California Casual meets High Drama, a lightweight, knit blend of steel armor. That would be perfect, Evie figured, because it was obvious that Raquel had already declared war." pg.103

Evie Gomez is a proud member of the Flojos (Spanish for flip flops, which all the Flojos wear 18/7). Flojo also means lazy and the Flojos do absolutely nothing except go to a party every now and then. But the Flojos are Evie's crew, she can't imagine not hanging out with her best friend, Raquel everyday. Until their old best friend, Dee Dee returns to California from Mexico where she lived after her mother died. Mexico City has turned shy, thin, brunette Dee Dee into curvaceous, loud and blonde Dela. Where is the Dee Dee the girls used to know? Raquel and Dee Dee butt heads right away but Evie is determined to save their friendship. Even if it means becoming more like Dela, but if she turns into someone like Dela she could risk losing Raquel. Is she a laidback Flojo or a sexy Sangro (short for sangrona which is basically a b****)? 'How's a chica to choose?' (last part from back cover).



Evie is not a particularly endearing main character. All the members of the Flojos are well off and Evie takes many things for granted. She has a housekeeper Lindsay that she treats semi-decently, she's not mean to her, but Evie doesn't try to help ease Lindsay's workload either. Evie can also be rather clueless, bringing up memories that may be painful for the other person or just not particularly enjoyable which makes for some awkward moments (and then you wonder how she can be so clueless). At the same time, these flaws made Evie an authentic main character and while I didn't close the book wanting to be her friend, I did like that the story portrayed is a more unusual one, life for wealthy Mexican-Americans. Evie has to deal with the usual friendship and guy drama, the only difference is that in this book Spanglish is thrown around and the food sounds a lot yummier. I do wish the writing had been more original, there are pop cultures references which are dated and the whole story is told in a matter-of-fact way that seems to be just plodding along. Not much happens, like many lighter contemporary YA novels all the problems could have been avoided if there was more communication and trust. But where's the fun in that? I do wish that the 'mean girl' had been more than a caricature, there has to be more to Alejandra than just being stuck up. All the secondary characters fell flat, Evie complains about her older sister, Sabrina, who is in college, but it's never really clear why Evie is so unwilling to talk to her.

I did appreciate that this book features a diverse cast and that the main clique at Evie's wealthy high school, the Sangros, are Mexican. The girls last names all end in -A, they are the ah-migas (Fabiola, Natalia, Xiomara and their leader, Alejandra) they are all from the DF (Distrito Federal which is Mexico City) and very proud of that fact. The Sangros are known for their blonde highlights and snobbish attitude. The Sangros look down on Mexican-Americans and that is a source of contention between Evie and the Sangros, even Evie's old friend Dee Dee seems to think that Mexicans born in Mexico are better than Mexicans born in America. It's an unique conflict and portrayed well. I also appreciated the Spanglish throughout the book. Sometimes Evie talks to the reader to explain what a word like sangrona means (i.e. slang and/or curse words) but for the most part, Evie and her friends sprinkle Spanish into their English and even combine the words (i.e. pinche beyachee). Honey-Blonde Chica is also about whether or not you should try and salvage a friendship after many years apart. Evie and Dee Dee seem so different and Raquel doesn't even want to talk to Dee Dee, but Evie remembers the days when they were the best of friends and she yearns to go back to those days. The author portrays it as such that I wasn't always sure if they could make up, they all do/say some pretty silly/even cruel things.

Honey Blonde Chica is a diverting read that doesn't take itself too seriously but could use more developed main characters. There's a cute factor but I was disappointed with the secondary covers, I thought the guy Evie had a crush on was just ok and the mean girl, Alejandra is ridiculously over-the-top. However, I did think that Evie's crush progression was realistic, she starts questioning every little thing he says/does and tries not to anxiously await his calls and texts. Been there, get that. I do love the idea of the Sangros though and I wonder if the book is accurate in showing some of the drama between Mexicans and Mexican Americans (Neither Evie nor Raquel speak fluent Spanish but all the Sangros do) or if the drama's been heightened. I also really liked how class isn't so much an issue in this book, all the main characters are wealthy which makes it harder to tolerate how spoiled they can be but it's also a great equalizer when it comes to friendship woes and not feeling Mexican enough. While Evie is proud to be Mexican American (her father made his wealthy running pan de dulce shops which will make you quite hungry), her story is a universal one because we all have to face friends drifting apart and figuring out whether or not we should fight to hold on to that friendship. What's more Evie doesn't just need to prove that she can be both laidback (Flojo) and represent her culture (como un Sangro), wear blonde highlights (Sangro) with designer flip flops (Flojo).

Disclosure: Yo compre

Waiting on Wednesday: What Can't Wait (+ Read-In & winner)

The winner of my Devil's Kiss series (who has already been emailed) by Sarwat Chadda giveaway is STEPH from Steph Su Reads! Congratulations :D

It's interesting to me that most people said the lie was love at McDonalds....

The African American Read-In discussion of Bleeding Violet will be held here, at my blog! The winning forum was Twitter but not everyone has Twitter (including one fo the organizers) so it shouldn't have even been an option, I apologize. However, I will use the hashtag #Bleeding Violet from time to time while on Twitter on Feb. 20th (this Sunday!) and if you don't want to comment with your thoughts, you can Tweet me and I will post your comments. I hope that works for everyone. And the international readers can read the questions and participate any time, I'll probably post the first three questions at midnight.


What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Perez

Release Date: March 28, 2011

"“Another day finished, gracias a Dios."

Seventeen-year-old Marisa's mother has been saying this for as long as Marisa can remember. Her parents came to Houston from Mexico. They work hard, and they expect Marisa to help her familia. And they expect her to marry a boy from the neighborhood, to settle down, and to have grandbabies. If she wants a job, ...more"“Another day finished, gracias a Dios."

Seventeen-year-old Marisa's mother has been saying this for as long as Marisa can remember. Her parents came to Houston from Mexico. They work hard, and they expect Marisa to help her familia. And they expect her to marry a boy from the neighborhood, to settle down, and to have grandbabies. If she wants a job, she could always be an assistant manager at the local grocery store.

At school, it's another story. Marisa's calc teacher expects her to ace the AP test and to get into an engineering program in Austin—a city that seems unimaginably far away. When her home life becomes unbearable, Marisa seeks comfort elsewhere—and suddenly neither her best friend nor boyfriend can get through to her. Caught between the expectations of two different worlds, Marisa isn't sure what she wants—other than a life where she doesn't end each day thanking God it's over.

What Can't Wait—the gripping debut novel from Ashley Hope Pérez—tells the story of one girl's survival in a world in which family needs trump individual success, and self-reliance the only key that can unlock the door to the future.

-I've had this book for awhile but I try to hold off on reading books that aren't being released right away because I tend to review books right after I read them and I don't write reviews very much in advance so...I'll stop now because it's not important. I consider Forever Young Adult to be some of the funniest and toughest book reviewers around so when they wrote this raving review, I knew I needed to read it asap and find out what all the hype was about. Plus I have a lovely interview with the author coming up in a few weeks :) And really what doesn't sound good about this book? Someone who actually-*gasps*-likes calculus and happens to be Latina and working class with the good ole theme of American self-reliance.

Are you waiting on What Can't Wait too? What's your pick for the week?

2011 Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge

It is time for my second REAL challenge. I've said it countless times, I don't read fantasy and science fiction. I always thought it would be too complicated for me or even too creepy. But I always get emails asking for YA/MG speculative fiction about poc recommendations and I'm tired of not being able to give my own recommendations. I WILL complete this challenge.

Hosted by Floor to Ceiling Books. You must read 12 books. Starts Jan 1, 2011. Ends Dec 31, 2011.

1. Little Sister by Kara Dalkey

2. Rot & Ruin (Benny Imura #1) by Jonathan Maberry

3. Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

4. Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon

5. Huntress by Malinda Lo

6. Libyrinth by Pearl North

7. The Prince of Fenway Park by Julianna Baggott

8. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

9. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

10. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

11. Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalesiter

12. Flora Segunda (Flora Trilogy #1) by Ysabeau S. Wilce

13. Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafoar-Mbachu

14. City of Light, City of Dark by Avi

15. Shipbreaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (Ship Breaker #1)

16. For the Win by Cory Doctrow

17. Arrow by RJ Anderson

Hopefully I have a wide range of books covered, although I think I have more fantasy than science fiction. *sigh* But it's better than nothing. It looks like I might have more Asian-inspired fantasy than anything else, I would like to add at least one other YA/MG with Latino/a main characters. I'm actually very eager to dive into this challenge and I won three of these books (one of them is only temporary though =/) so I better get cracking! Any recommendations would be welcome (if you've already recommended titles to me know that I did listen. It was just really hard to narrow down the list). An invaluable resource was Charlotte's list and Zetta's list.

ETA: I do not crosspost for challenges so debuts about poc are mostly likely on my list of YA/MG debut authors, same thing if they are a mostly GLBT cast (I'm still working on that challenge post though).

Male Monday: Operation Redwood

Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French 2009
Amulet Books/Harry N. Abrams

Rating: 5/5

IQ "Robin's mom always says, 'A way will open.' [Julian]

'And do you believe this?' [strange lady ;)]

Did he? He chose his words carefully. 'Maybe not on its own. But maybe, if you keep trying to really think about how to make something happen, it could happen. Not always. But if you're lucky.'" Julian pg. 326

Julian Carter-Li opens an angry email message that is intended for his uncle, Sidley Carter, a CEO of a very important company (IPX). His uncle's company has bought a grove of redwood trees that are hundreds of years old and the company intends on tearing them all down. Julian doesn't intend to get involved at first, but the sender of that email turns out to be Robin, a girl close to Julian's age (twelve). He's intrigued by someone his own age brave enough to call his uncle a jerk and stand up for what she believes in. Julian knows very little about this robin, but with the help of his best friend, Danny he is going to break into an office, live in a tree and maybe, just maybe, save the redwoods.

There is not a single thing I didn't like about this book. Some might complain that it started off rather slow but I live for slow contemporary starts, I like getting to know every little detail about the main character and their friends. Sure some things are a little too convenient (Danny speaks Spanish but Julian doesn't speak Spanish so naturally Danny must translate often. also Julian's Chinese grandmother writes for a sizable newspaper), but who cares? This story is too fun to get wrapped up in such minor things. I'm a sucker for kids and teens engaging in social justice because I think too many books only show us as selfish brats who don't care about the future of our world. That's simply not true and this author gets that. At the core of this book (or the trunk of this book, and yes there will be more annoying tree metaphors) is a message of environmentalism. Here we have three kids who don't have an extraordinary amount of resources available to them and yet they manage to come up with a plan, a plan that has the potential to work. They aren't hackers or geniuses or super wealthy, instead they have lots of heart and pool together their respective brain power to find a solution. These qualities make the book an interesting read and one that is authentic. I could easily see myself and other kids in middle school coming up with a similar plan (instead of those outrageous plots that you know would never work out in real life. Not that those can't be fun). The core has different branches that all lead back to the plan to save the redwoods but they divert (in the best of ways) to stories dealing with racism, family abandonment, strong friendships and the actual application of what we learn in school.

In addition to the save-the-trees message that rocked, I also adored the subtle displays of racism. In today's world, rarely do we see outright prejudice and Operation Redwood perfectly reflects that fact. Julian's mother travels a lot and his father died when he was seven, so when Julian's mother leaves for China for several months, he has to go live with his uncle Sibley. Sibley is his father's brother and while Sibley's young son, Preston, adores Julian, Sibley and his wife do not. Sibley's wife, Daphne, goes out of his way to make sure Julian knows he is not welcome (she has a point system. A POINTS system, but that's actually not a totally implausible situation). Of course since she never spells it out, you can't be sure that part of that dislike is race-based, but it probably doesn't help that Julian's Chinese (his mother is Chinese, his father is white) heritage 'ruins' her image of the perfect all-American blonde family. Like when Julian says '[s]omething about the way his aunt said 'half-Chinese' always made it sound vaguely like an insult-or not an insult exactly, but something that made him less than Preston, who at least in her view, wasn't half anything." (pg. 51) I had such a YES moment when I read that, I totally get what Julian's describing and I think many people from different cultural backgrounds may have a similar moment. Julian doesn't spend the entire book talking about the hardships of being a biracial kid, he mentions it, but he also talks about the joys of being biracial and how funny it can be to think about "how strange it was that he should be descended from two such different people, how weird and improbable that their DNA would end up mixed together in his own body." (pg.341). I would be remiss not to rave about Danny. I LOVE Danny, I want him to be my best friend. He is a mess, always hamming it up and yet his silly ways often help him to come up with the most outrageous-but-they-just-might-work stunts. But he can also be very practical (he's quite handy with computer basics such as sending emails in which Julian is hopelessly defunct). One of my favorite exchanges between Danny and Julian is below

"Am I good or what?' he [Danny] said with a broad smile.

'You have a real talent for lying. And you've ruined my reputation too. Congratulations!' [Julian]

'We all have our gifts,' Danny said humbly." (pg. 79) What a great kid.

Operation Redwood has many different branches that all lead back to the importance of speaking up when a wrong is being committed and the value of nature. Julian lives in San Francisco which can be a bit polluted, and he ends up going to see the Big Grove of redwood trees and is in awe of nature. I probably would be too. I don't live in the heart of the city, but I can relate to not spending much time relaxing and pondering nature, especially as we kids become older. I love that Julian has such a diverse group of friends, as the 21st century pushes on, we are going to see more diverse friendships, even now, people are rarely friends with only white people, and it's soo nice to see a book that reflects this. In fact this is the kind of contemporary middle grade I want to see more of, pretty please publishers? The ending certainly surprised me and it's realistic. Robin is resourceful, Danny is imaginative and Julian has the quiet strength that only unveils itself when push comes to shove. I could go on and on and on, but I'll stop. Ultimately this is a prime example of a book where it's the LITTLE THINGS that make it such a phenomenal read. The plot is not complex but it is revolutionary in that it so accurately depicts our world through the eyes of middle school students. A definite favorite of 2011 already.

Disclosure: Bought. One of the best purchases ever :D Printed on recycled paper for the win!

PS This is a tiny thing but it made me happen Julian is thinking about how his teacher taught them about the Miwok Indians (pg. 82). It's a brief sentence, blink and you miss, but it meant something to me that the author didn't just say Indians or even Native Americans. She specifies the tribe. Cool

Latinos Don't Fall in Love, Asians Don't Tell Jokes

Catchy title eh? We also don't have friendship or sibling drama. No instead people of color live intense lives of prejudice, drugs, alcoholism, abuse (but not mental illness because for some reason no one wants to talk about that particular topic. humph). We never have any fun. There are no wealthy people of color, and there are no people of color who happen to be middle class.

I'm so freakin tired of that message that is constantly echoed over and over again in YA contemporary. I can understand the appeal of fantasy, especially the lighter aspects of paranormals. Sometimes it's nice to just curl up with a good book that's FUN. What a novel concept. I've been blogging for about a year and a half and I'm never able to post about my favorite love stories that feature people of color because at most I can think of about ten (well ten that I think are of good quality). I want to post my top ten favorite YA romances but there aren't enough to choose from. Although I would be happy to be proven wrong.

Don't even get me started on the large number of YA contemporary romances that are published (probably ten a week!). I've said it before but I'll say it again, I don't like comparing books written about Native Americans/Latinos/Asians/Black people to books written about white people but where are our Gossip Girls? Who is our Sarah Dessen (no offense to Sarah Dessen but I've read three of her books and I don't recall any of the characters being from different cultural backgrounds)?

Honestly though, about half of this post isn't really about me. Yes I've always mourned the lack of funny YA books about poc, but I never would have noticed how few YA romances there were about poc if my younger sister hadn't pointed this fact out to me a little while ago. She loves to read and I'm always giving her books I receive that I don't have time to read right away. but she ALWAYS asks me if I have any romance YA books for her and the answer 99% of the time is no. Which is really upsetting to me. My sister loves to read, but in the genre she loves most, she can never read about a Blatina like her finding love. I don't normally curse but that infuriates me, WTF. She loves the Perfect Chemistry series. A biracial romance between a Latino and a white girl. I loved it too. The first romance book we've ever talked about. I gave her If You Come Softly, another biracial romance, she really liked it but wanted less of a sad ending. I gave her A Wish After Midnight, she needed more romance (and here I was just hoping she'd learn something ;) Other was pretty good, paranormal with some romance, but again, romance wasn't the main factor same with Silver Phoenix. Perfect Shot also hit the nail on the head, quick read and very cute. She adored the book. But she's still waiting for her Black/Latina Sarah Dessen. Obviously each writer has their own style and so she will (thank goodness) never find a carbon copy of Sarah Dessen. But there has to be an unpublished (or even published) writer out there whose writing smart, funny romances for girls like my sister. Sarah Dessen writes more than romances, her characters are nuanced and they go through some hard times but the hard times are a little easier for her, a middle class girl to relate to, than say the hard times a working class guy faces over whether or not to deal drugs because of the need for money. She swoons over plenty of guy characters in books (too much so for my liking) but is it selfish of me to hope that one day she will excitedly tell me about this really cute Black guy she fell in love with through a book and hey he didn't fall in love with a white girl (because while I'm all for interracial relationships it can be a blow to continuously see in real life and in books, guys only going for girls of the same race and/or body type)? Speaking of interracial relationships, can anyone think of a YA book where the guy is white and the girl is Black? Hmm.

By that same token, why are interracial (interracial meaning Black-white or Asian-white) relationships the main focus in YA books? I NEED more intercultural relationships a la Girl Overboard (Asian-Latino, well a sort-of relationship) or even Wait For Me (Asian-Latino) or even same cultural relationships. It's as if writers are afraid to now only write Asian-Asian relationships for fear of backlash saying that Asians don't only have to love Asians. Obviously that's true, but it's also realistic, that many Asians still fall in love with other Asians (and please realize you could replace Asian with any other ethnic group). Personally I'm still waiting for my Black-Latino/a relationship (Bleeding Violet satisfies me on that end because it's completely awesome but it didn't satisfy my sister on the romance. However it's the probably the only book besides Silver Phoenix that she didn't care as much about the romance). But I'm also tired of the biracial relationships between a white person and Black person being so controversial. I get why it's such a tough issue when it's a white person and another culture, but I think Black-White relationships have been talked about enough on TV that we should all be able to move. Feature the relationships, but race shouldn't be a huge issue anymore. There will of course still be subtle incidents, but it shouldn't be the main focus, in my opinion. Bicultural relationships should be explored too; there are tensions between Blacks and Latinos, there are even intercultural tensions because many cultures value light skin over dark skin. People have been forbidden to date based on the SHADE of skin color. Yea how many times does that come up in YA? Doesn't need to be mentioned a lot, but it's an issue many teens of color may have to face, that should be reflected in books written for us.

And how about the humor? I L-O-V-E sarcastic/snarky main characters. Maybe authors don't want to perpetuate stereotypes that Blacks and Latinas are sassy, but y'know what, I think our people are funny. You have to develop a sense of humor to deal with all the extra stupidity we get. Luckily Mitali Perkins compiled a list of funny books featuring multicultural protagonists, and I definitely recommend Whale Talk, The Absolutely True-Diary of a Part Time Indian, Does My Head Look Big in This? and the Making of Dr. Truelove. But even Mitali's list is rather paltry, I believe there's only 19 books on the YA part and 16 for MG (on that side I definitely recommend Operation Redwood, 8th Grade Superzero and Watsons Go to Birmingham). Not to be greedy, but I need some more. When you compare the number of humorous titles about white people to the humorous titles about poc OVER TIME the numbers of deplorable. My brother and I both have a really good sense of humor and I 100% believe my brother doesn't read a lot of books about poc is because they aren't funny enough for him. He needs a slightly modified poc version of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

Publishers before you say no to yet ANOTHER chick lit (and not to get off topic but I have some thoughts on all things Jane Austen but that's for another post) with lots of romance, friendship and family dramas or a book with a snarky main character, re-consider saying no, if the main characters are protagonists of color, give that book a chance. Trust me, there are at least three kids in my household who want to read them.

I'm starting Daughter of Xanadu which sounds promising because I could use some good historical fiction and hey, it has romance. As for my sister, I'm giving her Jazz in Love and Fury of the Phoenix to read next. I think she'll really like them both.

Romance (might be a little, might be a lot, there's not enough to choose from to really distinguish)

His Own Where by June Jordan

If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson

Perfect Chemstry series by Simone Elkeles

Jazz in Love by Neesha Meminger

Wait for Me by An Na

The Agency series by Y.S. Lee

Silver Phoenix series by Cindy Pon

Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier

When the Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrer (my #1 favorite romance, regardless of race)

Billi SanGreal series by Sarwat Chadda

Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins (if this book doesn't break your heart....)

Mismatch by Lensey Namioka

Perfect Shot by Debbie Riguad

Girl vs. Boy by Yvette Collins & Sally Rideout

Other by Karen Kincy

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

She's So Money by Cherry Cheva

Duplikate by Cherry Cheva

Hotlanta series

It Chicks series

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger

Jason & Kyra by Dana Davidson

Toads & Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson

A Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by Brenda Woods

Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang

Belle by Beverly Jenkins

Subway Girl by P.J. Converse (the only romance book I've ever been beyond excited for the release)

Please help me add on to this list. I want to have at least 30 books on here so I can eventually read them all and by the time Valentine's Day rolls around next year, I can list my top ten favorites.

PS Now that I'm done rambling, read the much more eloquent Neesha Meminger express what I tried to say.

PPSS Am I the only who always wondered why the S.A.S.S. series never had a book set in Africa or South America?

C.O.L.O.R.

I can now announce my sekrit project, that I've been thinking intensely about since making my New Year's Resolutions. I'm not going to apologize for the fact that I'm a blogger and activist and this project is a way for me to help other people discover all the diverse YA/MG books out there. So announcing...

C.O.L.O.R.

Coalition Of Librarians and Online Readers

Online readers being those of us who lurk around book blogs. The librarians (as of right now) are all librarians who blog. The end goal being to donate at least 25 books in two months to a library that could use a little extra TLC. I have four libraries as of right now and depending on the success of the project, more librarians and libraries will be added.

How it works: I provide the link to the wishlist. You buy the books. You are welcome to donate multiple copies of books on the wishlist. If you wish to donate a book of your own, please email the respective librarian or myself first (if possible). To start off, we are using the Book Depository so that international readers have no excuse not to participate ;) (unless they happen to be in one of the few countries the Book Depository does not mail to).

Why?: Budget cuts for libraries are increasing. Many of us love libraries and I want to help by sending books to libraries that have been hit hard by the budget cuts. A bonus is that I would like to only send books by/about people of color for children and teenagers, both fiction and non fiction. For now I am focusing on middle schools (6th-8th) and high schools in the U.S. The ideal scenario is to send books about Asians/Black people/Latinos and Native Americans to the library, but to have the majority of the books match the ethnicity of the students.

First up is Edi from Crazy Quilts (I highly recommend you check out her blog first, you won't be able to resist wanting to help this warm and informative librarian). Read my blogger spotlight with Edi.

Edi is a librarian at Arlington Community High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. The majority of her students (90%) are Black. To learn more about the school (including a matchup of Arlington Community High School students who pass their grades versus the state average which is depressing to say the least) go here.

Project for Arlington Community High School begins: February 11, 2011
Ends: April 11, 2011

Now that I've gotten you all eager to help out, go to the wishlist I made for The Book Depository. Wishlist from there you can easily buy the book and mail it out, easy peasy.

For your convenience I've included the wishlist titles below:

A Year in Japan by Kate T Williamson

Tales of Otori (1,2,3) by Lian Hearn (Thanks Kaz!)

Zaharah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okarafor (Thank you Tricia!)

Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans (Thank you Tricia!) Thank you also Ivanova!

Dragon Road by Laurence Yep (Thank you Ivanova!)

A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge by Josh Neufeld (Sweet, thank you Zetta!)

Asleep by Wendy Raven McNair

Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea; Burma Chronices by Guy Delisle

Aya: The secret comes out vol 3

Still I Rise: A Graphic History of African Americans by Roland Laird, Taneshia Nash Laird, Elihu , "Adofo" Bey, and Charles Johnson-Thank you Zetta!

Greatest Stars of the NBA Volume 1: Shaquille O'Neal by Tokyopop and NBA

Michelle Obama (Female Force) by Neal Bailey and Joshua LaBell-Thank you Jessi!

The Civil Rights Freedom Train (Comix With Content) by Bentley Boyd

All the Rage: The Boondocks Past and Present by Aaron McGruder-hugs and many thanks Neesha!

Nat Turner by Kyle Baker

Miss Emily the Yellow Rose of Texas by Ben Durr

Yellow Rose the Myth of Emily Morgan by Douglas Brode

Bessie Coleman: Daring Stunt Pilot (Graphic Biographies) by Robbins, Trina, Steacy, and Ken

Captain America: Truth by Robert Morales and Kyle Bake

Fist stick knife gun a personal history of violence by Geoffrey Canada (graphic novel)-Mil gracias Helen!

Tall Story by Candy Gourlay -Yay, thanks Jodie!

Black Frontiers: A History of African American Heroes in the Old West by Lillian Schlissel

Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist by Nancy Goldstein

Buffalo Soldiers and the American West (Graphic Library, Graphic History) by Glaser, Jason, Smith, and Tod

Booker T. Washington: Great American Educator (Graphic Library: Graphic Biographies) [Paperback]by Braun (Author), Eric (Author), Martin (Illustrator), Cynthia (Illustrator)

Graphic Myths and Legends: Sinbad: Sailing into Peril: an Arabian Tale (Graphic Universe) by Marie P. Croalland Clint Hilinski Triple thank you Trish!

Beowulf: Monster Slayer (A British Legend) (Graphic Universe) [Paperback] by Paul D. Storrie (Author), Ron Randall (Illustrator)-Thank you so much Jessi!

Isis & Osiris: To the Ends of the Earth (Graphic Myths and Legends) [Paperback] by Jeff Limke (Author), David Witt (Illustrator) Thanks again Neesha!

If you go ahead and buy a book, please comment or email me with your name and the title of the book. I would like to thank you and recognize you on this post.

I'm really, really excited to be doing this. I need YOU to help me make this work. Please? It would honestly mean the world to me if you guys could help out. And while in the spirit of giving (it's so cold out in most areas of the country, something needs to cheer us up and isn't giving better than receiving?) consider donating money or a book to A Little Angel Named Kaylea who loves to read, is six years old and has leukemia.

PS If you can't afford to donate right now, want to consider making me a button? I really need to up my technology/designing skills :)

ETA: Apparentely the Book Depository isn't showing you guys the address so here it is (sorry about that!)

Arlington Community High School Grades: 06-12 C/O Edi Campbell
4825 N Arlington Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46226-2499
Phone: (317) 226-2345