George

The Bookworm says… Absolutely. George by Alex Gino is fantastic. George knows she is a girl. Nobody else does, which is hard for her. Looking at her, you can’t tell. But she knows. When her fourth grade class holds auditions for a stage version of Charlotte’s Web, George decided she wants to audition for the role of Charlotte. At auditions, the teacher tells George she can’t audition for Charlotte- because she’s  a boy. George’s best friend Kelly earns the role, and the two hatch a brilliant plan that will allow George to be Charlotte, and show the whole world who she really is.

This book is so important. It’s a story about a young transgender child, written for children. In the past few years, horizons have broadened in the YA world. There is now a plentiful amount of YA books with LGBTQ+ protagonists, which is incredible. That being said, there aren’t many books aimed towards younger children, and they’re the ones who truly need it. They need to learn that they have other choices for their lives- they aren’t limited to what is put in front of them. George does a very good job of explaining life in the eyes of a transgender child simply and easily, in a way that any young reader can understand. I want this book taught in every elementary school in the world. It is so important that we do not raise a generation of close-minded people. Every child should read this book as a part of growing up- the same way they read Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and The Care and Keeping of You. It’s that important. This book makes me so happy; I want to thank Alex Gino and give them a hug.

"Be who you are."

Echo

 

The Bookworm says... Yes!!!! Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan is fantastic. Otto finds himself lost in the forest in a game of hide and seek. Three mysterious sisters, a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica later, Otto is out of the forest. Years later, the harmonica lands in Christopher's hands in Germany, then Mike in Pennsylvania, and then Ivy in California. They find themselves entranced with the seemingly magical harmonica, and the power of music. The power of music holds families together, saves a friend in need, and so much more. Though Christopher, Mike, and Ivy have never met, their gift for music stitches them together as they conjure up a beautiful orchestra of sound. 

Echo is incredible. The feeling you get when you finish this is that of finishing Harry Potter for the first time. Echo is beautiful written and magically told; the plot is perfect, as are the characters. The three separate plot components come together seamlessly to create a perfect dynamic. 500+ pages of historical, magical, fiction, do not let the size deter you. Echo truly is a wonder, maybe even the next Harry Potter. 

"Your fate is not yet sealed. Even in the darkest night, a star will shine, a bell will chime, a path will be revealed."

Fans of the Impossible Life

The Bookworm says... Yes!!!!! Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa is an amazing book. Jeremy has been alone since the incident last spring. 

Mira comes into his life when his English teacher, Peter, forces him to start an art club. Mira is the first member. Mira has been practically alone, with just Sebby by her side, since she got out of the hospital last year. Sebby comes to art club with Mira, and Jeremy suddenly feels complete. As Jeremy adapts to the way Mira and Sebby orbit each other, he realizes the challenges they face daily and the lengths they go to to keep them invisible. This is the story of Sebby, Mira, and the boy who loves them both. 

Fans of the Impossible Life is excellent. The characters all have a good side to them- Mira her knack for fashion, Jeremy for art. They all have bad sides as well- Mira her depression, Sebby his shoplifting. What is truly unique about Kate Scelsa's characters is that you can see aspects of their "bad side" in their "good side". They let their troubles shape them, and it really shows. The ending was so perfect I wanted to scream. The last page. Oh my. Simply put, this book is a masterpiece. 

"They rolled up the maps of their bodies until they were two continents of interlocking roads and rivers and dreams, and she thought, This is how I will leave to live again."

DISCLAIMER: review is based on an uncorrected proof. Publication date is September 8, 2014. 

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

The Bookworm says... Yes!! Fun Home by Alison Bechdel is a stunning graphic memoir. Beginning with Alison as a young girl, she realizes that she and her father were very alike, but also nothing alike. As she grows older and matures, her relationship with her father becomes more and more forced. She's trying to be herself, while he tries to express himself through her. She grows older still, and the relationship grows tenser. A funeral home director/high school English teacher/historical restoration expert and his lesbian cartoonist daughter, trying to live their own lives while stuck in a perpetual orbit around each other.

An illustrated history of her fragile relationship with her father, Alison Bechdel's Fun Home is a shimmering gem of an autobiography. It details their relationship throughout her entire life, but not in a linear manner. In any given chapter you may have Alison as a child, Alison as a teenager, Alison as a new adult, or all three. Bechdel frequently alludes to Ulysses and The Odyssey as comparisons to her and her father's relationship, which works excellently. The detail conveyed in the illustrations could not be reproduced in any other form. Heartbreaking, humorous, detailed, and intimate, Fun Home is like no other.

"My father once nearly came to blows with a female dinner guest about whether a particular patch of embroidery was fuchsia or magenta. But the infinite gradations of color in a fine sunset--from salmon to canary to midnight blue--left him wordless."

The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy

            

The Bookworm says… Yes. The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer is an enjoyable book! At Selwyn Academy, a prestigious art school, all forms of art are valued over all else. A local television network, kTV, comes to the school to film their reality TV show about young artists, dubbed “For Art’s Sake”. That is when everything changes. Art is no longer the primary focus of everyone at the school. For those involved with the show, it’s winning. For the faculty, it’s money. For the general student population, it’s getting through the day without interrupting kTV filming and having to face the wrath of the producer, Trisha Meier. The show is taking over Selwyn, and it’s up to Ethan, Luke, Jackson, and Elizabeth to save it. An English class on Ezra Pound inspires the quartet to write and distribute a long poem to the student body, encouraging them to make their opinions about “For Art’s Sake” heard, loud and clear. The aftermath of their poem is greater than they could have imagined, and the kTV crew more cunning. Betrayal left and right, Ethan needs to do something, and fast.

            I really enjoyed Vigilante Poets! I think the story is very appealing, though I am a sucker for performing arts/arts high schools. The risks the friends take to save their school are inspiring, and the lengths they go to are daring. There were few dull moments throughout the novel, and I didn’t find the ending predictable. I actually think the ending was very unpredictable. I was pleasantly surprised by this book.

“Remember: this is not a novel, not a memoir, not produced by anyone with artistic skill. It’s just about what happened last year. It’s about reality TV, a desperate crush on a ballerina, and a heroic gerbil named Baconnaise. But mostly it’s about my friends. Please remember: not art, just life.”

Never Always Sometimes

The Bookworm says… Maybe. Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid is extremely disappointing. Dave and Julia are best friends. Entering their freshman year of high school, they make a list of clichés they would never do- be recognized by a lunch spot, dye their hair extravagant colors, and lots of other typical high school clichés. The most important thing on the list: never date your best friend. With only a few months left of their senior year, Julia and Dave decide to try to do every Never on the list. By doing the Nevers, Dave and Julia break out of their comfort zones and do things they never dreamed of doing. They get into trouble, and they get out of it. Most of all, they learn things about themselves, each other, and their feelings for each other that they wouldn’t know if not for the Nevers.

            I was so disappointed by this book. I was a huge fan of Let’s Get Lost (also by Adi Alsaid), and I had very high hopes for this book. I would go so far as to say that this was one of my most anticipated releases of 2015, and I was greatly let down. The writing was not bad, but it was not remarkable. While the concept is interesting, the way the plot unfolds is lackadaisical.  I got bored with it very fast. There was some notable character development, but some characters could have benefited from a little bit more.

Previously reviewed by Adi Alsaid: Let's Get Lost 

“Human beings are more or less formulas. Pun intended. We are not any one thing that is mathematically provable. We are more or less than we are anything. We are more or less kind, or more or less not. More or less selfish, happy, wise, lonely.”

DISCLAIMER: Review is based off of an unedited proof. Official release date is August 4, 2015.

Even When You Lie To Me

The Bookworm says... No. Even When You Lie To Me by Jessica Alcott was not good. Entering senior year of high school, Charlie and her best friend Lila end up in an English class together with the hot new teacher. Charlie is sick of living in Lila's shadow, and starts to expand her horizons. She also starts to develop a crush on Mr. Drummond, knowing she is one of many. Charlie tries to escape from Lila's shadow while trying to do well in a class where the main distraction is the teacher. 

Frankly, this book wasn't good. It was a cliche from beginning to end. Unattractive girl has a popular best friend and a beautiful mother. Brand new, mysterious teacher suddenly attracts her attention, and he connects with her like no one else. Teacher/student relationships are wrong and obviously illegal, and reading an entire novel about one in the making was boring. All of the characters in this book could've benefited from a little more development; the only characters who I felt changed significantly, aside from a relationship perspective, were Lila and Charlie's mom.

“It’s like…it’s like a catch-22. Like how women are told not to care about male attention but also that they’re not worthwhile if they don’t get it. Or how they’re expected to wear makeup, but they have to look like they aren’t. Or how they’re allowed to have power as long as it’s sexual, but then if they use it, they get called sluts. And if they don’t have sexual power, then they’re worthless. It creates a situation where the person in the double bind can’t win.”