i-smoothie?

Okay, this has nothing to do with books, other than being a brutal way to dispose of another electronic threat.

However, it made me laugh, and so I will share.

By the by, I have been on a little hiatus as I get this whole “Baby -vs- Life” thing worked out, but you will see regular postings starting next week. I have a backlog of reviews to share, and some ideas about a total overhaul of the book industry as we know it.

Stay tuned, peeps.

Life As We Knew It Redux

Hello faithful readers. This review was actually the VERY FIRST review I posted to pixie stix, and I wrote it first because it was one of my favorite books last year. Unfortunately, that meant that it went up before anyone was regularly reading, and so it has gotten lost.

So, I am bringing it back one more time, BECAUSE IT’S THAT GOOD! It will even keep adults up late–I lost sleep over it–and it’s a great choice for teen book clubs. Go get this book!

Life As We Knew It

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Harcourt, October 2006, $17.00 HC

0-15-205826-5

Core Audience: Most obvious audience is girls 14+ but should be hand sold to boys because it’s so compelling

Strengths: Authentic writing, vivid post-apocalyptic scenario that will be an eye-opener for modern teens

Young readers today are so used to the comfort of technologies such as cell phones, e-mail, cable television, and the internet that most of them never stop to think about how vulnerable these luxuries are. Let alone things like electricity, food in the supermarket, gas at the gas station, and medical care at the local hospital. What I loved about this book is how effectively it shows how a breakdown in society can slowly strip away our creature comforts one by one until we are reduced to our most basic instincts for survival.

When an asteroid hits the Moon and pushes it closer to the Earth, the environmental catastrophe that results will change life on the planet forever. Unlike typical disaster movies like War of the Worlds or Independence Day, the believability of this book comes from the fact that the events take place over many months, and chronicle what a disaster might look like from the perspective of one family in one community. Told through the diary entries of a normal teen, this novel is so authentically written and so compelling that once you get into it, it will be hard to put it down. Even better, when you do put it down, it will take a few minutes to pull yourself back from the sense of impending disaster that this book will evoke in you. Ultimately, this book delivers a positive message about self-reliance and hidden strength, and it is one of my top picks for the year. Not only is it a great story, but it has an important message to send to young readers about not taking life for granted.

Rated: 9.0

Order this book from your local independent bookstore

Leap

Leap by Jane Breskin Zalben

Random House; January 2007; 272 pp; $15.99 HC

978-0375838712

Core Audience: Girls and boys 10+ who like stories based in reality

Strengths: Alternating viewpoints; great writing that really captures all of the conflicting emotions of pre-adolescence

These days, there are so many books being written for the middle grade audience that have grand character arcs and larger than life storylines that it is easy for the quieter books to get lost among all the destitute orphans, the young wizards, and the wise-cracking goofballs.

Here is a lovely book about a group of friends growing up in Flushing, Queens, and what happens to their small community one year when one of them has an unexpected accident. It changes not only his life, but it subtly shifts and re-focuses the lives of everyone in the community.

When Daniel almost dies due to an allergic reaction during routine dental surgery in the days after 5^th grade graduation, the neighborhood doesn’t know how to react. Handsome, gifted and athletic, Daniel seems like the last boy who could have something bad happen to him. Soon it’s clear that something bad has happened, and worse—it was his best friend’s dad who was doing the surgery. It’s not as if he died, say some, while others don’t know what to think about the fact that Daniel cannot do many of the physical things he could do before, like walk without help, and swim on the school team. It is clear that his life and the lives of his family have changed radically. It’s worse for Krista, who used to be Daniel’s best friend, and who feels guilty for not reaching out to him now even though they aren’t as close as they used to be. Torn between her old allegiances, her family, and her social life, she’s not sure she can do the right thing even though she wants to.

Told in the alternating voices of Daniel and Krista, this novel perfectly captures all of the nuances of that transitional period between childhood and adolescence when identity is fragile, and alliances and feelings shift on a daily basis. In another author’s hands this subject matter could easily go over the edge into melodrama, but Zalben uses a delicate touch and real empathy for her characters which keeps the overall tone hopeful without being saccharine. There is a great supporting cast and excellent development of character and place.

In the end this is a novel about real characters–both kids and adults–having real and complicated emotions, and it perfectly demonstrates the idea that sometimes we can only discover the value in our lives by taking a leap of faith.

So when you get tired of all the hype and silliness, Leap is just the novel to keep it real.

Word.

Rated: 8.0

Order this book from your local independent bookstore