Switch

Claire is special. Lightning causes her to sometimes switch bodies with other girls whose birthdays are close to hers. She was lucky to learn about this from her grandmother, a ghost/spirit who’s been around all Claire’s life- since her own death before Claire’s birth. Her grandmother’s story is intriguing- revealed later in the story to Claire for the first time. But her role in the story is to inhabit Claire’s body when Claire leaves it so that Claire will be able to return to herself safely. She can only do that when asleep. So it is extremely odd  (and a little hard to believe, even when you are suspending disbelief) when a mere shock of static electricity puts her in another girl’s body. And she can’t leave because she actually likes being the attractive girl that all the boys stare at, especially her swim teammate Nate, the Golden Boy. Eventually, she learns to appreciate her own body and life more than the one she’s been inhabiting for several days, as she learns the bad things about the other girl’s body and life.  Nice tidy story with a happy ending.  And a pretty good read in the meantime- light and definitely beach worthy as the setting is a coastal town.

Bruiser

What do you think a boy nicknamed Bruiser is going to be like? Here's a hint: he was voted most likely to go to jail. He's a pretty big guy, and very quiet. Maybe a little misunderstood. Bronte, working in the library, decides to help him as he wanders around the poetry section. In high school, most guys don't spend a lot of time in the poetry section- at least, not guys with a reputation like Bruiser's. Their short conversation intrigues her- he had a particular author in mind- and she decides he is date-worthy. However, for her popular twin brother Tennyson, Bruiser is not the right guy for his intelligent sister. Tennyson starts watching Bruiser so he can report the would-be boyfriend's horrendous habits back to his loveblind sister. But what he finds instead is a very protected 10 year old brother, a very mean uncle, and a very rundown shack. What Tennyson witnesses changes his mind completely about Bruiser. So Bronte is free to continue her romance and the twins get closer to the mysterious boy. They begin to notice strange things when they are around him. Strange things about him. Disturbing, but not at all in the way they once thought of a boy named Bruiser. What if his nickname isn't because he causes bruises, but heals them? What if his distanced personality is way he protects himself? What if everyone had a story to explain their behavoir? Maybe you should find out the truth before you judge someone. That's what Bronte and Tennyson learn in Bruiser, by Neal Shusterman.

In honor of Black History Month

Just finished an ARC that I had and picked up after I learned it won an award at ALA. Not surprised. Quite a good story. I think what I liked best was the strength of the two main characters, 11 year olds Zora and Carrie. If you didn't realize it, it is based partly on Zora Neale Hurston's autobiography, Dust Tracks on the Road. Many of the characters seem to have been drawn from Zora's own telling. The reader can tell that Zora is headed for a future as a writer. But the novel is its own unique thing, not based on events that truly occurred. The two girls are worried that a man they had met once was killed by an alligator. The signs in Eatonville, Florida, indicate that it was more likely a hate crime. But the girls embark on their own investigation to out a man who they claim to be half alligator and half man. This leads them to a woman who pretends to be white because of her dark skin, but is the murdered black man's sister. Justice is meted out in both the black town and its neighbor full of whites, carried out fairly and in secret by men of both towns, giving the story a balanced ending. Between its strong message, characters, setting, historical enlightenment and the murder mystery, the book is indeed an ammazing accomplishment for the two first time authors who co-wrote it.

Black Bird manga

I've got to admit, I really opened the door wide for controversy with this one. I'm gonna lay it all out and be completely honest about it. I read a segment of it from the magazine Shojo Beat and ordered it because a student wanted me to. Hmmmm. Well of course I read the whole book when I got it in. And the first volume isn't that bad. When I say bad I mean racy. Here's the premise: Misao is the Senka Maiden, meaning that she can give a lot of power to demons if they: drink her blood, eat her flesh, or impregnate her. Now, her childhood friend Kyo is one such demon. She loved him, he left, and then came back to claim her just before her sixteenth birthday. On her birthday, the otherwise invisible demonic creatures she's always seen are increasing in number and even attacking. Kyo comes to her rescue and explains everything to her. And informs her that he intends to marry her! So, he stays near her and protects her by masquerading as one of her teachers while in secret they date and she questions his intentions- is he just wooing her so she'll have his child someday and he will never have to worry about losing his place as the most powerful clan leader. That's basically volume 1 in a nutshell. Various characters pop up and try to get in the way of their relationship.  The problem is that he's really comfortable with making her uncomfortable. Kyo loves to irritate her by turning into a pervert just when things start to get serious. To her credit, Misao socks him when he sticks his hand up her shirt. In later volumes (I've just finished 5), he is making his way around the bases, so to speak. Usually body parts are conveniently covered by either clothing or some body part. But not always. Since my book club wanted to read the series, I bought all five for the library. And now it appears the whole series really kinda centers around whether or not they will have sex. And then the other middle schools bought it, and oh, man, I'm afraid I'm gonna get in trouble!

Latest book in fantasy series

The Icemark Chronicles didn't make a very big splash, although I'm not sure why. I do believe that fantasy either appeals to a reader or it doesn't. And the fans of fantasy are a minority of the readers out there. But they are die hard fans. And this series will feed them, because they always want series and they love big books! I read the first two in the series and this is the third one. I have enjoyed all three, although this one probably the least of the three. Thirrin, the heroine of both books one and two, spends less time in the spotlight in favor of two of her daughters, one the heiress to the throne, and the other a sorceress condemned to the strange underworld of this fantasy land. All three tell the story at different times during the novel, but so do some of the male or seemingly minor characters. The continual switches might actually be confusing to some readers. However, what readers may enjoy more in this installment is the deliberation and philosophizing about the nature of good and evil. What readers will enjoy about this series as a whole, is the combination of strong characters, strange creatures, war, magic, and love. It makes for a great read for girls and boys.