Review: Far Far Away

Far Far Away
By Tom McNeal
Published 2013 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Jeremy Johnson Johnson lives in Never Better and is trying his best to thrive. But his mother left him and his father sunk into a depression and they're in danger of losing their house. Oh, and Jeremy hears the voice of Jacob Grimm. When the lovely and sometimes troublemaking Ginger takes an interest in Jeremy, Jacob's protection from a dark evil begins to slip and Jeremy is in more danger than he could have imagined.

I started hearing about this one a few months ago, seeing some buzz around the web and hearing it get a push at TLA. I happily requested an e-galley when I spotted the book on Edelweiss and started reading when I had the chance. I think I've made it known that I love all things fairy tale, so I was really looking forward to this book. I absolutely loved the narration - I loved how it was framed as a fairy tale and the many allusions that peppered the text throughout (even Jeremy's name seems straight out of an old tale). I loved Jacob Grimm's voice and how desperately he wanted to look after Jeremy and never let him down. I loved the foreboding menage of the Finder of Occasions and I love that I became so absorbed in the story that I started to forget something evil was lurking. Everyone seemed creepy and off enough that I suspected them all of being the Finder and when everyone is a suspect, no one is a suspect. I loved the awkward friendship that blossoms between Jeremy and Ginger - so unusual in a fairy tale setting, but it worked so wonderfully here. I enjoyed the slow pace of this story, relished in the leisurely way events passed. I loved the darkness in this book. The tone is just great, very traditional Grimm brothers (not the watered-down Disney fairy-tale version). The story is very well-written and I just gulped down great portions of it whenever I had a moment to read. I definitely recommend this to readers looking for a creepy book.

Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via Edelweiss.

Review: Prodigy

Prodigy (Legend, book two)
By Marie Lu
Published 2013 by Putnam Juvenile

WARNING: There may be spoilers for book one. To read my review of Legend, go here.

Day and June are on the run when something unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son takes his place. Quickly, the two must decide which side they are on; will they fight for the Patriots or for the Republic? And can they make those decisions together?

It's funny: I just re-read my review of book one and I didn't seem to be as positive about it as I remembered. Then again, my memory is terrible, so this really shouldn't be too surprising. Also, it seems that my feelings for a lot of books grow warmer the more time passes after I finish them. It appears to be the case for this series, as I was hotly anticipating the release of book two and put my name on the waiting list as soon as it showed up in the library catalog.

Here's what I like about this series: I love the alternating chapters and viewpoints. I love getting the chance to see things from Day's perspective and from June's. I love that the voices are distinct, so I'm never confused about whose perspective I'm reading. I love that Lu has created two inherently opposed characters and brought them to places they never could have imagined. I love that the roles of Day and June - in their relationships with each other and other people, as well as in their lives overall - are continually shifting and changing. I love that they are so confused and vulnerable - to me, it makes them incredibly realistic and teenager-y.

I also love the world Lu has created - this future is scary and also incredibly believable. I love the layers of lies that Lu's government has created for its citizens and I love that the uncovering of these layers leads to more and more confusion and outrage. I love the complexity of some parts and the simplicity of others. I love the pacing - this book is full of action. It grabs you by the lapels and doesn't let go. It's relentless. It makes me want to recommend it to every teen who wants an adventure story (not that I need to, because they all already know about it).

And, I admit, I love the romance. Though there were times that it all felt a bit too unrealistic and perfect while I was reading Prodigy, I love that these two broken people have come together and are trying to heal.

I am on pins and needles for book three!

Event: Texas Library Association Conference

This April, my library sent me to the Texas Library Association Conference, held in Fort Worth. I was lucky to be able to attend three days, Wednesday - Friday, though I did have to miss Neil Gaiman on Saturday (it was my Saturday to work, unfortunately).

This was my first time attending the TLA conference, and I was definitely interested to see how it would differ from the ALA conferences I've attended. After talking to some colleagues, I received kind of mixed reviews - in terms of the exhibits and signings and authors in attendance, it was pretty equal to the national conferences. In terms of the programs and sessions, it was a mixed bag - most talks seemed to be geared toward specific audiences or were sessions with authors broadly discussing their works. So, I'll admit - my expectations were pretty low.

Even with such guarded expectations, I felt mostly disappointed with the conference. Wednesday afternoon was the start of the conference, though the exhibits didn't open until late Thursday morning and the selection of sessions on Wednesday was pretty paltry. I find my colleagues were mostly right about the sessions - I had gone through the scheduler and picked out things I thought sounded interesting and relevant to my job at the library, anything to do with books or programming for tweens (with some children's and teen stuff thrown in here and there). The majority of the programming-focused sessions I attended seemed geared toward school librarians, which is fine, but not necessarily relevant to my job. A number of the sessions I attended featured authors - once again, fine, but several of these were billed as programs that would have the authors discussing ways to use their books in programming and exactly none of them actually did this. I went to a few sessions on new and upcoming titles for tweens and teens and I think there was maybe one book that I didn't already know about. Now, that might be entirely my own deal, considering how obsessively I follow book news, but still, I expected more. I'm not sure I took notes in any of my sessions - that's how useful they were to me.

Obviously, one of my favorite things about attending conferences is visiting the exhibit hall and snagging advance copies. I use these for collection development purposes, reading things I'm on the fence about to decide if I want to order it, as well as just reading things so I have a better idea of what kids I can recommend it to. We also use these advance copies as giveaways at programs and for summer reading prizes. The exhibit hall for this conference just seemed a little off. The hours didn't really seem to mesh well with the conference schedule (though maybe that was just me). Additionally, I didn't visit the exhibits for the first time until later in the afternoon on the first day and by the time I got there, a lot of publishers were telling me they had already run out of copies of some titles. On the first day? Really? I am incredibly grateful that publishers bring these copies of books to librarians, giving us a chance to see what new and exciting things they have coming. But this time around, it just didn't seem like they planned it terribly well.

I love talking to the reps in the publisher booths - this is the only interaction I really have with these people, and I like knowing what titles they are excited about, what titles they are really trying to push, and what hidden gems they can introduce to me. I'm going to come right out and say it - some publishers are better at this than others. The reps at Bloomsbury have consistently been awesome to me, taking the time to chat about what they have coming. One of them even recognized my name from winning a giveaway they had on Facebook - I think that's awesome! Also, the St. Martin's Griffin folks are always lovely - I bug them every time I see them about Amy Kathleen Ryan's Sky Chasers series and they handle my pestering graciously. Similarly, the Abrams reps always seem genuinely excited to interact with you - I've never had a bad experience with them and though their booth is small in comparison, they make up for it in personality. The ladies at Candlewick were also wonderful this time around, letting me know about an event with Patrick Ness at ALA Annual that I am super super beyond excited for. And it is not just the smaller publishers or divisions - there were lovely reps at Disney, Scholastic, Penguin, and Houghton Mifflin (one rep at HMH gave me her card and sent us some Mustache Baby bookmarks after the conference - so wonderful!).

But if there is one publisher that I have had consistently bad experiences with, it's HarperCollins. I have now attended three different conferences with exhibit halls, and I have seen the same reps for HarperCollins at all of them. Every time, these reps have been lackluster and, often, downright rude. TLA was no exception. I stood in the booth for at least 15 minutes, looking over the galleys on display and waiting for someone whose eye I could catch to engage in a conversation. I was ignored that entire time, despite there being 4 reps standing in the booth. They were chatting with each other and ignoring me and any questions I may have had about what they had to offer. Similarly, one of my colleagues was visiting their booth at a different time and inquired if they had any teen galleys she could take back to the library. She was told no. While she was still in the booth, another conference attendee came to the booth, one whom the reps knew, and that attendee was immediately presented with some galleys. When the rep noticed my colleague still standing there, she handed over one title reluctantly. I am not saying that I expect every publisher to have billions of galleys available for everyone who asks, but I do expect them to try to talk with me and let me know what books they have coming that might be a good fit for my library. The reps at HarperCollins are never friendly or engaging and, honestly, they make me not want to visit their booth at all.

Overall, I was underwhelmed by my TLA experience and I don't think I'll plan on attending next year. I would definitely like to see some improvement in the sessions and programs offered at the conference.

Review: Friends with Boys

Friends with Boys
By Faith Erin Hicks
Published 2012 by First Second

Maggie is starting high school after being homeschooled for the majority of her life. Her brothers are around to look out for her, but things have been harder for her family since her mother left. Maggie struggles to make friends (besides her brothers), deal with her mother's absence, and, oh yeah, figure out why she sees that ghost in the graveyard.

I love graphic novels and I was really looking forward to this one. It seemed to be getting decent reviews and sounded like it had potential for an interesting story. When I decided to participate in The Hub Reading Challenge, it was a no-brainer for me to put this on my list of books to tackle. Unfortunately, I wasn't terribly impressed with this one.

What I liked best about this: the characters. Maggie is a great main character - it was easy to relate to her and I wanted to know more about her. I loved learning about her family and the relationships between Maggie and her brothers and among the brothers are well-done and very realistic. I love good sibling relationships in my fiction for youth and this book does that incredibly well. I also liked Lucy and Alistair, another interesting sibling relationship and more fascinating characters to get to know. I also love the art. The style is perfect for the story and everything flows incredibly well. There are some nice quiet moments throughout that the art captures perfectly. Hicks definitely is a talented artist.

What I didn't really like: I guess I was just underwhelmed by the story. I thought it would be more of an adjustment for Maggie, moving from homeschooling to public school but, actually, she doesn't really seem to have that much trouble with the transition. I thought the storyline with the ghost was weak - I get the point Hicks was making here, but it just didn't seem that strong to me.

Overall, I thought this was a decent read, impressive for the characters and art. I will give Hicks another shot and hope she tells a more engaging story next time around.

Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
By Benjamin Alire Saenz
Published 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Aristotle (or Ari) is an angry young man, frustrated by his closed-off father and his mother's unwillingness to talk about his imprisoned brother. Dante is a boy with an unique outlook and optimism to boot. When the two meet at the local pool, they don't think they have much in common. But as they spend more time together, they both soon realize that knowing the other will forever change them.

I remember, vaguely, hearing about this book after it was published last year. It was discussed over at Someday My Printz Will Come as having award potential. It sounded like an interesting book, and, I admit it, I love the cover art. So I kept meaning to read it. And, you know the story - I didn't get around to it. After it won a slew of honors at the Youth Media Awards, it moved to the top of my list of books I missed out on last year that I needed to read as soon as possible. It was one of the first books I knew I wanted to read for The Hub Reading Challenge, so I got right down to it as soon as it was available at the library.

This book, man, I can't even. This book completely sneaks up on a person. I don't even think I can accurately describe what I felt while reading this book. It starts out relatively slow and pretty much remains that way - I think it's safe to say that not a lot is actually happening throughout this book. But something bigger actually is, and maybe you're not really aware of it. What's happening is that you're falling in love with Aristotle and Dante - you are living alongside them, and fighting and feeling what they fight and feel. You are hoping they know how lucky they are - to have their parents, to have each other. You are hoping you realize how lucky YOU are - to have the people you love, to have amazing books like this one to remind you of all that luck. You are thinking what a lovely little book this is, with these characters who feel so real and all this emotion on every page. And before you know it, the book has completely cast its spell on you and your heart is breaking for Ari and Dante and you don't even know why and you never want this book to end and you are pretty sure that this is one of the best books you've ever read because it made you believe again and HOW DID IT DO THAT?

Suffice it to say that I absolutely adored this book. Saenz's prose is gorgeous, spell-binding and completely captivating. He has created absolutely believable characters who I truly feel like I know and care about. He has crafted a deceptively simple story that left me full of emotions I didn't expect. This is the first of his books I've read; it won't be my last. Truly, truly excellent and deserves all the praise and awards it's received.

Review: The Last Little Blue Envelope

The Last Little Blue Envelope
By Maureen Johnson, read by Emily Durante
Published 2011 by HarperTeen

WARNING: There may be spoilers for the first book. To read my review of that title, go here.

Ginny imagined that the contents of the last little blue envelope, stolen from her last summer (along with her backpack), were lost forever. She is mistaken. One day, she receives an email from a boy in London and the next thing she knows, she's on a plane, about to embark on another life-changing adventure.

13 Little Blue Envelopes was the first book by Maureen Johnson that I read, and I loved it - funny, smart, exciting, great characters, and interesting plot. I mean, what wasn't there to love? I read it right around the same time this book, a sequel, was published and, as I finished, I wondered if the sequel was necessary. I always imagined I'd get around to it someday but, for me, someday usually means many many years later. Well, here we are, two years later, and I've finished The Last Little Blue Envelope.

Do I still think this sequel is unnecessary? Yes, but I mean that in the kindest way possible. For folks who like a little mystery left at the end of a story, they'd be content with simply reading the first book. It's not necessary to Ginny's story to find out what was in the last envelope - at least, I don't think it is. But, for those folks who loved Ginny and her adventures and want to spend more time with her, then The Last Little Blue Envelope is a worthy follow-up.

I listened to the audio version this time around and it's very well done. Durante does a great job voicing Ginny, and handles the accents of secondary characters quite well. This book is mainly just more of what I loved about the first - great characters, engaging writing, quick reading, realistic teenage experiences. I do feel that I could have read the print version much more quickly than I could listen to the audio, but that's okay. It wasn't bad to take a little extra time with this one.

My main issue with this sequel is how Ginny and Keith's relationship played out. At the start of this book, I thought to myself, "Oh, please don't make this go the way these things typically go." And then it did. It was disappointing and I felt that the whole romance-y plot detracted from the story of the last blue envelope.

Overall, a good follow-up to a delightful novel, though I prefer her Shades of London series.

48 Hour Book Challenge: Update 2

I'm about 30 hours into the challenge. It wasn't terribly busy at work so I managed to sneak in a few extra minutes of reading but with SRC kicking off full blast on Monday, I had too much work to get done. I'm really using my audiobook option - I listened on my ride to and from work and for a couple hours while cooking and eating dinner. That has definitely helped bump up my time.

I finished Alanna: the First Adventure tonight. I liked it well enough, though I guess I was expecting a lot more with the rabid Tamora Pierce fan base there is. Moved onto Never Fall Down - about 100 pages in and I'm liking it. Tomorrow will be my big reading day - no plans all day until the evening, after my 48 hours ends. 

I have hopped around and visited a few of the other participant blogs and I am in awe - you all are kicking butt and showing those TBR piles who is boss! I'll be happy if I finish two more books tomorrow - nothing in comparison to the double digits some of you cranked out in the first day!

I had hoped to stay up late and try to get by on just a couple hours sleep but I'm definitely crashing. So I'm calling it a night and will get back to reading when I wake up tomorrow. Have fun everyone!

EDIT: I tried to post this last night at midnight but apparently it didn't go through so I'm posting it now!