the impossible knife of memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Tags for this title are fathers and daughters fiction; post traumatic stress disorder fiction; family problems fiction; veterans fiction.  The story starts out with a teenaged girl talking about just returning to her grandma's house after of years of absence and no memory of this past.  She and her dad had been on the road, hauling loads in his semi for a number of years.  Now apparently his past war trauma is catching up with him and he wants to settle down or perhaps hide from his memories, let his daughter go to a real school, graduate.  So, I have two people now with possible post traumatic stress disorder.  We need to add the boy who insists on befriending Hayley and the kindergarten friend Gracie who still remembers Hayley and is experiencing serious trauma herself.  All together we have four people experiencing trauma and drama in their lives.  I think all the drama among the teens was enough story in itself, without dad's trauma.  Hayley lost her mother then her grandmother who was raising her, is all of sudden in school after being more or less home schooled.  She is having memory problems, she is rebellious. That's enough trauma to carry the story even without her friends' serious problems.  Dad's drama is just sort of added on to everything else.  Maybe the point of this story is that there is all kinds of traumatic stress in all kinds of lives.  If it was meant to show to teens the effects of war on veterans, I don't think it was completely successful.  I think that gets sort of lost in all the other mess going on.  I read Laurie Halse Anderson books.  I wouldn't say she is a favorite author but her books are ok.  I do not think this one is one of her better books however.  Just my say. 
JDW  5/14

Cold Calls - Charles Benoit

It all begins with a call to Eric.  The voice is distorted and there is air popping and clicks in the background.  The person calls several times and in the middle of the night tells Eric to check his inbox.  There is a picture taken from inside his room there in his e-mail.  Eric becomes paranoid and keeps checking his phone and e-mail for the mysterious caller.  After a few days of not hearing anything the mysterious caller calls.  He/she tells Eric they know his secret and to check his e-mail again.  In his e-mail is a picture he thought was gone forever.  If he doesn't do tasks on certain days and times the picture will get sent to everyone he knows.  Shelly got a call from the same distorted voice as Eric.  The caller tells her they know her secret.  Shelly has to complete several tasks and her secret won't get out.  Both Eric and Shelly dump food on kids at their respective schools and get suspended for a week.  They also have to complete a weekend bullying program for them to go back to school after the suspension.  They sit through videos and questions on Saturday.  They also had to write an essay about taking responsibility for their actions.  On Sunday there are only eight kids left.  As they complete paperwork saying they completed the program, Eric and Shelly overhear the teacher telling the security guard reasons some of the kids didn't come back.  The one that stands out is a strange voice called at night.  Shelly talks to Eric after the program.  She tries to convince him that the same person called both of them and told them to do certain things at certain times.  Eric thinks it's done with, but the voice calls him Sunday night telling him the macaroni and cheese task has to be done while he's suspended.  Fatima, one of the girls from the bullying program, calls Shelly.  Fatima finally gets to the point telling Shelly she got the same calls as Eric and Shelly.  When Eric gets back from working out he discovers that the mysterious caller has sent a picture to all of his contacts on his phone.  He finds Shelly's number and gives her a call.  Eric, Shelly, and Fatima meet at the library.  They hope to figure out who is behind the creepy calls before Thursday night to keep their secrets from getting out.  

Just like Benoit's other books I really enjoyed this one.  I liked how Benoit took on the issue of bullying.  I also liked the story being reminiscent of the mystery/thriller books by R. L. Stine, Richie T. Cusick, Diane Hoh, and Lois Duncan from the mid to late 1990's.  It was nice to have the nostalgia in a book set in today's technology driven society.  I would recommend Fall From Grace and You by Charles Benoit. 

T.B. 5/12/14

Painting the Rainbow by Amy Gordon

Cousins Holly and Ivy have been going to the family lake vacation home every summer all their lives.  Generations before them had also done so.  This summer is a little different though.  Ivy and her brother believe their parents are divorcing.  Holly's parents are away teaching summer school and researching a closely held family secret.  Grandpa has brought the Rainbow boat out of storage for the first time in many years.  The girls had never seen it, now they would be helping to restore it to its former rainbow colored glory.  The Vietnam war was in progress and cousins may be called to join the fight or might become conscientious objectors.   The family secret centers on the summer Ivy's father's twin brother died.  That summer WWII was in progress.  One twin was joining up, the other was not.  So in many ways it feels like history is repeating itself.  Ivy, Holly keep finding traces of that long ago summer in letters, pictures, notes stuck in old books.  Randy is asking questions and of course the the rainbow boat had last been used that fateful summer.  Ivy and Holly have issues with maturing as well.  Perhaps Holly is moving on and a once close friendship will either end or change.
This is an easy way to learn about the powerful effects of war on families.  And maybe why secrets should not be kept?  I really liked Ivy and the courage she shows during this pivotal summer.  I don't know that this is a remarkable story or anything.  Issues considered here have been covered before.  But, it is overall enjoyable, short and easy.  I think its worth reading.  Even if you are not into history all that much, the relationship between Ivy and Holly will keep most, girls, especially interested.

JDW5.9

End of Night by Paul Bogard

There are several organizations studying the effects of the ever increasing amount of artificial light at night.  They are examining sleeping people, migrating birds, night flowering plants, bats, insects and energy use.  All are adversely affected. This book gives many vivid examples such as a flock of migrating birds mistaking a pool of light on a parking lot for water and diving to their deaths.  Organizations studying safety and night lighting have developed recommendations for the best use of lighting to achieve best results.  People usually just throw more light at a problem which is never especially effective, wastes energy and makes invisible to the naked eye all but the brightest objects in the night sky.  Kids are growing up without the wonder of seeing stars, milky way, satellites, meteors and more.  Even if they go someplace dark enough to see the objects, they cannot adequately
see them as their eyes are not trained to.

Bogard traveled the world to experience the remaining darkest places such as Great Basin National Park.  He traveled to places specially designed with lighting to provide safety as well as preserve the ability to see night sky, sleep in darkness, protect migrants, bats and other flora and fauna.  He talked with the experts on the subject of night and its loss to artificial lighting to find out what they learned about all the adverse effects.  He shares with us his journey in a way I found very fascinating.

I think there are teens, interested in conservation, who would find this nonfiction book fascinating as well.  A person could even set a new career goal after reading it.

JDW 5/9

The Museum of Intangible Things by Wendy Wunder

(Jacket design: Liz Dresner Jacket Photo: Michael Frost)

Hannah and Zoe are best friends. They live in a two star town in New Jersey that offers nothing more than a future attending the community college and landing an unrewarding job nearby at best. Both want more than what they were given and what lies ahead for them, but both go about it in different ways.

Hannah is girl aware that she deserves more but keeps her expectations low. Her parents, divorced, focus more on their issues rather than trying to make Hannah’s life easier or even better. Her dad, an alcoholic weatherman, told her from a young age that he isn’t paying for college and instead give her a small rolling hot dog stand to sell hot dogs to save for school. Her mother is completely uninvolved with Hannah, because after a divorce and midlife, it seems her mother thinks this is as good as it gets, with her job at the DMV and watching Dr. Oz. Hannah herself does have dreams to one day visit Sweden and to have a chance with Danny Spinelli, her crush since that time he kissed her back in 6^th grade. Danny drives the ice truck around the lake’s beaches where Hannah normally sets up her hot dog stand making it possible to see each other from a distance but Danny is with a cheerleader, Rebecca, making it not possible for her to muster the strength to speak to him.

Zoe is your typical beautiful girl, who you learn early on has bipolar disorder, that be due to her age or the disorder is overly flirty, wild and free. Despite that, she is perceptive and supportive of Hannah and her eight year old brother, Noah, who due to his Asperger’s speaks nothing but the cosmos and fails to grasps emotions.  Zoe creates the Museum of Intangible Things, a collection of installations she made depicting emotions like Pride, Sadness/Depression, and Sloth/Laziness for Noah to learn these said emotions.

While at a party hosted by Zoe’s current object of lust, Ethan, the girls get drunk. Hannah has an encounter with Danny, and in the morning realizes that Zoe is missing. Hannah finds her at the other side of the lake, and that’s when it is notable that something is wrong with Zoe. This, along with an incident involving her drunk father, Hannah and Zoe (more so Zoe) decide that road trip is what they need. On road trip, Zoe begins to show Hannah her version of the Museum of Intangible things like insouciance, audacity, gluttony, and a few others in order to get Hannah to stop catering to others. However, it apparent to the reader that Zoe isn’t in the best frame of mind the further they go on with the trip, ultimately leading to a startling ending.


Where to begin! I really wanted to like this book and kept reading thinking it has to get better. The cover is a bit misleading, looks a lot more soft and whimsical than it actually is. I am disappointed that the author made the ending as she did, and overall more disappointed that she brings in Danny Spinelli as a crutch for Hannah later on in the book. Hannah was self-reliant and her only real support was Zoe and then the author swoops Danny in to rescue Hannah and Hannah just curls up in his lap like a kitty and in doing so leaves her friend Zoe out to dry. So much for friendship. Which is even more annoying given that the author ends the first chapter saying, “And we vowed: never to let each other down. There is no stronger bond than the one that gets you through childhood. This is our story.” 
If you read it, I think you’d agree that the ending of this book could have been altogether different if Hannah wasn't distracted with Danny. What I hope people take away from this book if they do read it, is that mental issues are real and not as prettily packaged as they are with Zoe. Also, that you don’t need a boy to rescue you.

A.B. 

The Hit - Melvin Burgess

A drug called Death is hitting the streets of Manchester, England.  When you take Death it gives you the ultimate high for seven days and then you die.  Adam and his girlfriend Lizzie are at a Jimmy Earle concert.  There have been rumors going around he took Death a week ago and tonight is when he's supposed to die.  When Jimmy dies onstage there are riots in the streets.  Death is being handed out freely to everyone including Adam and Lizzie.  They decide to live their lives and not have just a week left to live, so they throw the Death away.  They make it back to their homes where the rioting in the streets is the main news story.  Lizzie is grounded by her dad, but that won't stop her from seeing Adam the next night at a party her cousin Julie is throwing.  While Adam looks forward to seeing Lizzie again, a note is dropped off saying his brother Jess is dead.  His parents are devastated and all Adam has left to escape this life is Lizzie.  After Adam and Lizzie arrive at the party Julie pulls Lizzie away and tries to get her to dump Adam for a rich boyfriend.  Lizzie doesn't want to dump Adam, and can't convince Julie otherwise.  She goes and finds Adam who took a big hit of XL5, which has made him high as a kite.  As they leave the party Adam wants to go and have sex with Lizzie.  Lizzie wants their first time to be in a romantic setting instead of some random place.  They get into a fight and Lizzie gets a ride home.  Adam goes and finds Garry, a friend of Jess's, to see if he knows what happened to Jess.  Adam takes a bag of Death from Garry and heads home.  He feels like there's nothing left for him and he takes the Death pill.  The next morning he wakes up in a euphoric state because of Death.  He heads over to Lizzie's and she realizes he took Death.  Adam has a bucket list of things to do in the next week.  Lizzie agrees to help him do everything on the list.  After they have sex Adam gets a call from Jess, who he thought was dead.  Jess wants the bag of Death Adam stole from Garry.  Adam gives it back and tells Jess he took one of the pills.  Adam asks if their is an antidote.  Jess tells him no there isn't.  The next day Adam and Lizzie rob a liquor store.  Adam gets caught and taken to the police station where his parents have to bail him out.  Lizzie escapes and contacts Christian, a guy she met at Julie's party, to find out if their truly is a cure for Death.  Christian tells her that she has to sleep with him and the antidote is hers.  Lizzie heads over and Christian holds her hostage.  He forces her take Death.  Is this truly the end for Adam and Lizzie, or is there really an antidote out there?

I enjoyed this book and I was a bit surprised at the ending.  It was a good surprise to conclude the story.  The book gives us a reminder to live life to the fullest.  There will be pain, suffering, and/or loss in our lives, but finding a quick way out isn't the answer even if it seems like there is nothing left to live for.

T.B.
4/18/14

Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Hysteria - panic, uncontrollable fear.  For Mallory, who had stabbed a young man to death, possibly to save herself, this means running anytime memories or memories of sounds associated with that fateful night come back.  Readers are just as confused as Mallory by her fleeting memory bits.  I was confused all the way to the very last 25 pages.  I think this was supposed to be a nail biter but I was mostly just confused.  Its easy enough to read and one feels compelled to keep going just to see if everything is explained.  It is, eventually.  Mallory is sent off to the same boarding school her father and grandmother had attended when the mother and brother of the young man who died begin to stalk her.  At the school she meets up with Reid, son of her father's best buddy.  She had met him years earlier and the memories return.  They do hit it off ok.  She also meets Jason, Krista, Taryn, Bree.  Something isn't quite right among the group.  There are secrets being held and lies being told.  Jason and Krista are particularly weirding out Mallory.  Then it happens again, another murder.  Mallory wakes up covered in blood, Jason stabbed to death on her dorm room floor.  This time she is sure she has had no part in the murder.  She was framed.  She is not allowed to go home while the murder investigation is going on so ends up in a motel near enough to campus for Mallory to run over there.  She does this several times, seemingly compelled to get the truth of both killings.  Her best bud from home, Colleen, is always there for her.  So it is that Colleen comes from home to visit at the motel.  Colleen gets involved with the attempt to figure out the truth of things and is nearly killed in the process.  This leads to those final 25 pages or so.  This is only an ok story but teens looking for a mystery that's a quick read may enjoy it. 
JDW 4/9/14

You Know What You Have To Do by Bonnie Shimko

This novel, while enjoyable and a quick read, seems to miss its potential. It has a great storyline, but it focuses more on the mundane rather than the intriguing.

Mary-Magdalene (aka Maggie or Mare) has this problem where she hears an evil voice in her head that tells her to kill people. The throbbing headache that accompanies the voice makes it so that the only thing she can do to alleviate the problem is to listen to the voice. When the novel starts, she has already killed one person. However, he was beating up his wife and Maggie's friend, so in a way, she was doing them a favor. While Maggie is dealing with this voice, she deals with typical high school things - like a boy who likes her but to whom she doesn't return the feelings, a best friend who is suddenly beautiful and more popular than Maggie will be, and the opportunity to finally get her driver's license. Throughout the book, Maggie tries to cope with the voice and life in general.

As I write the summary for the book, I struggle to create the appeal that the book jacket created because overall, the voices in her head were not as prevalent as I was led to believe - which is where the story faltered. Most of the book felt like Maggie dealing with being a teenager. She's going to therapy and is more concerned with the hotness of her therapist than doing anything to get better. True, admitting you've killed people because the voices told you to do it is basically asking to get locked up, but she seemed so desperate to get help you want to scream at her to actually do something about it. Maggie is more concerned about getting caught than bothered by the fact that she killed people. So are we supposed to feel sorry for her - which you do a good portion of the book - or is she just as bad as the voice in her head? But then, like I said, that whole dilemma seems at times secondary to life in general. Come the end of the book, when tragedy strikes and Maggie ends up in a psychiatric ward, it has nothing to do with her actual issue and it never even comes up until the end of her stay. Then the book ends and you're left wondering if she's embracing this issue or what. During at least one point in the novel (although I'm sure it was more than once) I completely forgot she had this voice issue. Then it comes back at the end and you're simply left wondering why the book didn't start here. This book could very well have been like a teenage Dexter, but that excitement gets muddled with the mundane life of a teenager. The suspense simply wasn't constant.

This book had a lot of potential. It had a great concept that drew me in, but it wasn't built up enough and you're left feeling "meh" about the book.
MMK