Five Feet Apart

Lippincott, Rachael. Five Feet Apart. Simon Schuster BYR, 2018.

Stella is in the hospital hoping for a lung transplant that will extend her lifespan, which has been shortened by her cystic fibrosis. She is creating an app for people with chronic conditions, to help them manage their medications and other treatments. Will, on the other hand, is fed up with treatments, hospitals, and the way his mom brings him from location to location to try every new experimental treatment in the hope that someone will cure him. As they both have CF, they are never supposed to be closer than six feet apart. Stella's organization clashes with Will's rule-breaking until they discover they are perfect for each other.

If you enjoyed The Fault in Our Stars or other books about teens with life-threatening illnesses, this is the perfect book for you. Stella's and Will's personality clashes are hilariously entertaining as the reader gets to watch each of them frustrate and be frustrated by the other one. The storyline is a pretty typical one for this type of story: boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love but can't be together, boy and girl make unwise choices because LOVE, etc. etc.

This book wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, but I can definitely see it being popular with teens in the library, especially as the movie is slated to come out at the same time as the book. Recommended.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: some language
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Everything, Everything; The Fault in Our Stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

The Extraordinary Colors of Auden Dare

Bethell, Zillah. The Extraordinary Colors of Auden Dare. Feiwel Friends, 2018.

Auden Dare can't see color, but that's the least of his worries. His world is in the midst of the Water Wars, and his father is away fighting against the enemy over the small amount of water left on the planet. Auden and his mom move into his late uncle's home, and Auden uncovers a mystery there. He's certain this mystery will lead to his uncle's experiments to help Auden see color, but perhaps there are bigger things at stake.

This book started very, very slowly, without much of the explanatory world-building that happens in a story set in a world so different from our own. Auden's voice wavers between sounding like a child and sounding like an adult reminiscing about childhood, so it was hard to discern whether he sounds right for his age. The end of the book certainly picks up its pace and becomes very readable and interesting; it's just disappointing that the first third of the book is such a slog, because many readers will abandon a book if it isn't interesting early enough. The whole issue with Auden being colorblind has led some to say this is a great read alike for The Giver, but it isn't remotely the same kind of story, so I don't think that's an accurate suggestion. I would give this book to kids who enjoyed The War that Saved My Life or possibly the HiLo graphic novels, but I would likely read the first third of the book aloud together until it gets to the interesting parts so that the child would be compelled to finish the story.

Recommended for: tweens, middle grade
Red Flags: some intense action scenes
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

The Incredible Magic of Being

Erskine, Kathryn. The Incredible Magic of Being. Scholastic Press, 2017.

Julian and his family have moved to a remote lake town in order to recover from some stressors in their lives. Julian's mom used to be a doctor, but one of her infant patients died on her watch, so she's taking a break from that to homeschool Julian (who has health issues which remain unidentified until nearly the end of the book) and to work on their new Bed and Breakfast. But their grumpy next door neighbor's lawyer spoils everything when he says that their addition blocks the neighbor's view of the lake and must be taken down. Julian takes it upon himself to befriend the neighbor and convince him to let them keep the addition.

This is an unusual story for a few reasons. First, Julian is described as different or fragile - his mom certainly treats him that way - but it isn't until very near the end of the book that we find out what makes him that way, and even then it is glossed over. Second, this book walks the tightrope between realism and magical realism, mostly tied up with Julian's "uni-sense," with which he thinks he can sense the universe. Other than that, there are parents who argue, an older sister with a teenage-sized attitude, and a grumpy neighbor that Julian is sure will be his friend.

Recommended for: middle grade (Julian is 9-10 in this story, so most kids older than that will not be interested)
Red Flags: none
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

The Meaning of Birds

Brown, Jaye Robin. The Meaning of Birds. HarperCollins, 2018.

Jess and Vivi were inseparable for more than two years. Jess felt like Vivi completed her, understood her, helped calm the rage of anger that so frequently spilled over before. But now Vivi is dead, and Jess isn't sure what to do anymore. Her rages and fights at school land her in an alternative school for a month; her mother is hoping she will use this time to work through her grief and find her own way.

This is a lovely book about grieving the loss of a loved one. It is not a happy book, but it is a good one and a necessary one, particularly because of the amazingly queer cast of characters. Jess is a lesbian; Vivi never self-identifies but reads as pansexual; Jess's best friend is asexual; a classmate at the alternative school is a straight guy who is dating a transgender girl and he takes a lot of flack for it but loves her anyway. Jess's grief reads as genuine. She spirals in and out of rages; she loses interest in her activities from before Vivi's death; she loses touch with her friends. Numerous people figure she should be "over it" by now, as if grief somehow has a deadline.

I also appreciated the discussion of alternative education opportunities - internships, etc. - for those who may not be interested in attending college. Jess becomes interested in blacksmithing, which is fascinating and different and not something you'd see at most traditional colleges or universities. With the student loan debt situation and job situation we have in this country, it's good to remind people that there are other ways to make a living and be an adult, and not all of them require fancy degrees.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: some language; some violence particularly on Jess's part; one character grabs Jess's crotch in order to determine what kind of genitalia she has; lots of underage drinking and recreational drug use
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: We Are Okay, Summer Bird Blue, You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Edelweiss for the purpose of review.

The Lonely Dead

Henry, April. The Lonely Dead. Henry Holt & Co, 2018.

Adele can speak with the dead. Like her mother and grandmother before her, Adele can see and communicate with the dead when she is near the place their remains lie. Diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age, Adele has been taking medication to damper the voices of the dead. But recently she stopped taking her meds, and now her former best friend is speaking to her, right over the place where her body is buried. Soon the murder is discovered, the police are looking for someone to pin the crime on, and Adele is looking like the ideal suspect.

Anyone who enjoys shows like Supernatural or X-Files where people can speak to the dead, combined with shows like Criminal Minds or Bones where there are murder investigations, would enjoy this book. The ending was completely predictable in the way many suspense/thriller endings are, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. This book focuses mainly on the action of the plot, and it is certainly a compelling story. There is not much world-building and not a ton of character development, but if you are looking for a fast-paced story, this is the one for you.

I can't speak to the use of schizophrenia as Adele's diagnosis, but I do hope some #ownvoices reviewers on Goodreads do address this issue. It is unsurprising that she was diagnosed, especially with the history of her mother and grandmother also speaking to the dead, but I don't know how an #ownvoices reviewer would see the way this issue was handled.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, attempted murder
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alike Authors: Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Nick Lake, Lucy Christopher

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

Just Like Jackie

Stoddard, Lindsey. Just Like Jackie. HarperCollins, 2018.

Robinson lives with her grandfather in Vermont. She loves helping him in his auto shop after school, tapping maple trees with him to make maple syrup, and being the one to squeeze the cheese sauce into the mac'n'cheese. She's his right hand man. But Grandpa has been forgetting things and mixing up his words a lot. Robinson isn't sure what to do. She thinks she can take care of her grandfather, but who will take care of Robinson?

This book is beautiful and sweet and everything that you could want from a middle grade book. Robinson gets in trouble at school because she fights back when she's bullied, but when she and her tormentor are placed in a group together by the guidance counselor, she sees that there's more beneath the surface. Harold, who is Grandpa's assistant at the auto shop, is at home with his husband and their new baby, so Grandpa is left to run the auto shop alone when Robinson is in school. Grandpa is African American, but Robinson is biracial and very light-skinned, so they get a lot of raised eyebrows when they go out into the world. There is a satisfying, nearly Disney-esque happy ending to the story, and the scary bits aren't too scary for middle grade readers. Recommended.

Recommended for: middle grade
Red Flags: a few instances of bullying; Robinson and her fellow groupmates say "effing" a couple of times along with other mild swears like "crap" and "suck."
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: The Someday Birds, The Benefits of Being an Octopus, Fish in a Tree

Darius the Great is Not Okay

Khorram, Adib. Darius the Great is Not Okay. Penguin, 2018.

Darius is a socially awkward Trekkie (or Trekker, if you're picky). He doesn't have a lot of friends at school and is obsessed with tea, even though he works in a Teavana-esque store that sells a lot of "tea," which is mostly sugar. Darius and his family go to Iran to visit his maternal grandparents as his grandfather is dying of a brain tumor. This will be Darius's first time in Iran, and he's nervous. His Farsi isn't nearly as good as his younger sister's, and he has been warned that his extended family will not understand his need to take medication to control his depression. While in Iran, Darius learns more about his heritage and befriends the neighbor boy; if he had stayed longer, perhaps they would have been more than friends.

Darius has a lot of hang-ups: he feels like his father doesn't approve of him because he isn't a jock and because he hasn't been able to control his medication-derived weight gain; he is frequently teased at school and his bullies even follow him to his job; he feels invisible in his own family because his little sister's big personality steals the spotlight. It's super awkward for him at first in Iran because his Farsi isn't very good and many of his relatives don't speak English super well, so he's sort of left out. Then he meets Sohrab. Sohrab is a neighbor boy about his same age, and they become friends quickly. Sohrab invites Darius to play soccer and speaks up for him when he won't speak up for himself. When his family finally leaves Iran to return to the United States, Darius is sad to be leaving Sohrab and sad to be leaving a family that feels more real to him than they had when he only knew them via Skype.

I found this book to be very readable. Darius is an awkward teenage boy, and this book reads true to that voice. He refers to his bullies as the Soulless Minions of Orthodoxy, talks about paying attention to various Iranian social cues, and relishes the time he spends watching Star Trek with his dad. Darius doesn't understand why his dad is so hard on him, and he feels like he is constantly disappointing his dad. All of these things would make this book very relatable for many teens. I love the addition of Persian culture and the trip to Iran, and for most of my patrons, this will be a window into a world they've never visited.

For those wondering about the LGBT content: Darius's father has two moms, and it's hinted in the book that Darius might be gay, although that's not something he's quite ready to process yet. His friendship with Sohrab certainly appears to be blossoming into something more before he has to return to the States.

This book definitely fits into the "awkward teen without backbone is having troubles, then grows a backbone and starts speaking for himself and standing up for himself and things are a bit better" category of books, which are ones my teen patrons love, so I can easily recommend this title.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: The bullies at Darius's school call him D-bag and a few other savory terms; the bullies in Iran mock Darius because he is uncircumcised (and they see this in the post-soccer shower room). Darius's extended family doesn't understand his need to medicate for his depression and say things like, "Just don't be so sad," which could be problematic to some readers.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Jack of Hearts (and other parts); Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel; Jaya and Rasa

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Edelweiss for the purpose of review.

Summer Bird Blue

Bowman, Akemi Dawn. Summer Bird Blue. Simon Pulse, 2018.

Rumi and her sister Lea are inseparable, but when Lea dies in a car accident and Rumi's mother sends her to Hawaii to live with an aunt while she grieves, Rumi feels betrayed and abandoned. She is angry at the world and doesn't know what to do with herself, but with the help of her family and her aunt's neighbors, she begins to work through her grief.

I loved the diversity throughout this book. Rumi doesn't self-identify by the end, but is questioning whether she is asexual. Rumi along with all of her new friends in Hawaii are biracial. The setting of Hawaii is appropriately done along with a sprinkling of Pidgin in the book. Rumi's grief feels real in that it doesn't follow a nice, logical sequence and she reacts in ways she doesn't want to. I loved the grumpy grandfather neighbor character.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: We Are Okay, You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone, Unspeakable

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Edelweiss for the purpose of review.

Letting Go of Gravity

Leder, Meg. Letting Go of Gravity. Simon Pulse, 2018.

Charlie and Parker are twins, but that's where their similarities end. Charlie has had leukemia twice and is now in remission, although he has one more year of high school to finish. Parker has just graduated first in her class, has an elite internship at the local hospital, and is headed to Harvard where she will be studying to be a pediatric oncologist. As Charlie and Parker clash throughout one summer, each must confront what others expect of them and what they actually want.

Even though Parker is really the main character of this story, she is not the only well-rounded character. Many of the characters are fully three-dimensional, flawed, and real. This isn't a book that is action-packed or compelling reading, but it is a thoughtful character study of what happens to the siblings of people who have serious illnesses. Parker and Charlie's entire family had to make sacrifices for Charlie, but it takes a summer of lying to her parents for Parker to realize the truth about herself and what she really wants. Recommended.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, underage drinking and drug use, domestic violence
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone, All the Bright Places, My Sister's Keeper
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

NOT RECOMMENDED: Miles Away From You

Rutledge, A.B. Miles Away From You. HMH Books for Young Readers, 2018.

Miles fell in love with Vivian, a transgender girl. Vivian attempted suicide and has been on life support for over a year. He takes a trip to Iceland, has sex with lots of people, and deals with the fact that he wants to let Vivian die with dignity while her parents have deadnamed her, taken her off of her hormones, and are continuing to fund her life support.

Why the low rating? This twitter thread by a trans person will help you understand the trans perspective on this book. Also, the main character is not sympathetic, likeable, or relatable (how many teens do you know whose parents can fund a trip to Iceland on a whim?). I could not in good conscience give this book to a transgender teen, an asexual teen, or a nonbinary teen. There are much better books available.

Red Flags: transphobic language is just the start
Overall Rating: 1/5 stars

Read Instead: Autoboyography, Mask of Shadows, Noteworthy, Tash Hearts Tolstoy

Ghost Boys

Rhodes, Jewell Parker. Ghost Boys. Little, Brown BFYR. 2018.

This story opens with Jerome dying as he is shot by a police officer. The rest of the story alternates between Jerome's "life" as a ghost in his own home and the home of the officer who shot him and also Jerome's backstory from when he was alive. Jerome the child did not have many friends at school and was often bullied; he focused on taking care of his sister and spending time with his family. Jerome the ghost wonders whether he can/should help the daughter of the officer who shot him and what needs to happen for him to move on from this life.

This book covers an obviously timely topic and includes references to Emmett Till and other boys who have been killed because of racial profiling. I am going to leave coverage of the race issues to others who are better able to discuss them. I will be adding this book to my library's collection and will recommend it to patrons young and old.

Recommended for: middle grade / tween
Red Flags: violence (the main character is shot; Emmett Till is also a character and his beating/death is discussed as well)
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purposes of review.

You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone

Solomon, Rachel. You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone. Simon Pulse, 2018.

Adina and Tovah are fraternal twins; Adina's first love is the viola, while Tovah is more science-oriented, hoping to one day become a doctor. Their mother was diagnosed with Huntington's disease when they were fourteen; now that they are 18, they are going to be tested to see if they, too, will one day develop the disease. Once they receive their results, the twin who tested positive heads on a destructive crash-course, assuming that she should squeeze as much as possible out of her short life. The other twin, feeling guilty for not having a disease, isn't sure how to react.

When I started this book, I assumed that somewhere near the end there would be the inevitable call from the doctor's office saying they had switched the test results. I was wrong. I appreciated the diverse voices in this book and the way one sister clung to her Jewish faith while the other did not. I don't think this is a book I enjoyed reading, but it is one I am glad to have read. I could easily recommend it to older teens who still enjoy reading books about other people's suffering.

Recommended for: older teens
Red Flags: underage drinking; Adina has a sexual relationship with her viola instructor, which technically begins after she turns 18 but as she is still in high school and he's her teacher that's still creepy; language
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Monday's Not Coming

Jackson, Tiffany. Monday's Not Coming. Katherine Tegen Books, 2018.

Claudia and Monday are best friends and practically inseparable, but one summer when Claudia is away at her grandmother's, Monday doesn't write to her, and Claudia can't find Monday once she returns home, either. No one else seems bothered by Monday's disappearance, but Claudia is determined to find out what happened to her.

*** SPOILERS AHEAD***

This book alternates between "before," chapters before The Big Event, and "after," which are after TBE, and things that are labeled "One year before the before" or "two years before the before," etc. etc. It's extremely confusing to read because some of the chapters are short and the time jumps around so much. The bottom line is that Monday was from an abusive home and her mom beat her and locked her in a closet until she died, then stuffed her body in a freezer, and Claudia was the only one who noticed she was gone because Monday didn't live in a nice part of town and no one was willing to say anything. Claudia has a breakdown after Monday's body is discovered, and she loses about two years of her life as she tries to recover, during which time she often forgets that Monday is gone.

What I Liked: The premise is good and necessary, even if it doesn't make for a nice, happy story.

What I Didn't Like: The time jumps in the chapters were difficult to keep track of since there were so many timelines going on at once. This book is also WAY too long to tell the story it was telling. The 400+ page tale could have been reduced to maybe half that. Claudia doesn't read as 14 (the age she believes she is) or 16 (the age she actually is). This may be due to her trauma, but she still sounds so much younger than she actually is.

Bottom Line: I will probably buy it for the library, but it won't go on my personal shelf.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: abuse, domestic violence, murder, bullying, drug and alcohol use, language, homophobic language, ableist language
Overall Rating: 2/5 stars

The Loose Ends List

Firestone, Carrie. The Loose Ends List. Little Brown BFYR, 2016.

Maddie is ready to enjoy her last magical summer before college when her grandmother calls everyone to her house and gives them this news: she's dying and she's booked them all on a cruise so she can spend time with them before she dies. This special cruise is only for terminal patients and their families, and the patients have all chosen to end their lives on their own terms. Maddie somewhat reluctantly joins her family on this cruise and gets to know the other cruise guests and celebrates their lives and their deaths, all the while knowing her grandmother may choose to end her life any day.

This was an unusual take on the typical "road trip" story in that it's a cruise instead. Also, there are very few YA books about physician-assisted suicide, so I am grateful for the compassionate way in which this tough topic was handled. I am glad Maddie got to grow and come out of her shell a bit and meet other people and come to terms with her grandmother's death. Without this serious topic, flighty Maddie would have gotten on my nerves. Her insta-love relationship with Enzo was not my favorite sub-plot, but it may draw readers to this book who wouldn't pick it up otherwise.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, drug use, drinking, Maddie and her cousin both have sex on several occasions and discuss the size of her cousin's partner's genitalia
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: The Universe Versus Alex Woods,

The Weight of Zero

Fortunati, Karen. The Weight of Zero. Delacorte Press, 2016.

Cat is planning to die. She has bipolar disorder, and she knows that her current level of stability will eventually disappear to be replaced with overwhelming depression. The last time that happened it nearly killed her mother. Cat is planning to kill herself before that can happen. She doesn't want to live through the depression and doesn't want to be a burden on her mother. But as Cat continues with her therapy, with school, with life, she realizes that maybe, just maybe she actually wants to live.

I imagined a very different ending for this book than what I found. What I found was not a devastating, "the character I have grown to love dies" kind of ending, nor was it a Disney-esque "happily ever after" ending, either. But it was a satisfying ending. I appreciated this author's use of research to portray teens with various disorders and issues in a balanced light. I was glad for the realistic portrayal of Cat's family struggling to make ends meet as they pay for her various therapies, which would ring more true to my patrons than a teen who has an endless supply of funds for whatever types of therapy are needed. I'm especially glad for the not "happily ever after" ending: Cat doesn't find a magical cure for bipolar disorder. Her former friends don't see the light and give tear-filled apologies and become besties again. What Cat gets is a real life, complete with its ups and downs.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: discussion of suicide, Cat plans to lose her virginity (she doesn't), teen alcohol use at a party, language, members of Cat's therapy group struggle with eating disorders, OCD, and other issues which could be triggering
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Butter, All the Bright Places, Everything, Everything

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purposes of review.

Five Stages of Andrew Brawley

Hutchinson, Shaun. The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley. Simon Pulse, 2015.

Andrew lives in the hospital.  His parents and little sister were killed in a car accident, so now he sneaks around the hospital, hiding from social workers and befriending the nurses.  One night a boy is brought in with severe burns. He says he got them when some boys through rubbing alcohol on him and set him on fire because he's gay. Andrew reads to Rusty and tries to ease his suffering.  But Andrew is suffering, too; all of his work in the hospital is a sort of penance, because he killed his family ...

This was a well-done book.  It reminded me a bit of the show Red Band Society.  Andrew (not his real name) is friends with the hospital staff and a couple of teens who are cancer patients, and he is desperately trying not to be found. All of that blows up in his face when he falls in love with Rusty, though.  This book is scattered with pages of Andrew's comic book about Patient F.  I love the way the story all fell together at the end, the way Andrew referred to the social worker as Death, and I was glad for Andrew and Rusty's relationship.  This is a good read-alike for fans of John Green.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, suicide attempts
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: The Fault in Our Stars, All the Bright Places, The Before Now and After Then

Denton's Little Deathdate

Rubin, Lance. Denton's Little Deathdate. Knopf BFYR, 2015.

When Denton was born, scientists used hair and blood samples to determine his date of death. Denton is an Early, a person who is fated to die before his 25th birthday. In fact, Denton is going to die sometime tomorrow, and he already knows that. As he plans for his funeral and his self-eulogy, though, a man runs up to him and tells him to be careful. Now Denton is on a search for the truth, and time is running out.

That synopsis made this book sound a lot more suspenseful than it really is. There is a small element of mystery, but most of the book involves Denton and his family preparing for his eventual demise, with spurts of mysteries thrown in. I liked the mystery element of the book, and I liked the other parts, too, but I don't think they meshed as well as they could have. If the mystery/thriller/discover the Truth (TM) had been given more emphasis, this book would definitely have been more of a page-turner. As it is, it was just okay. However, the idea of being given one's death date from birth is intriguing enough that this will be an easy book to booktalk to teens.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, Denton gets both drunk and high, minor violence, Denton has sex but in both instances it occurs off-stage
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

The Carnival at Bray

Foley, Jessie. The Carnival at Bray. Elephant Rock Productions, 2014

Maggie's family has moved to Ireland so her mother can live with the husband-of-the-month. Maggie misses Chicago, her grandmother, and most importantly, her Uncle Kevin. Uncle Kevin is quite unconventional and continually encourages Maggie to live life to the fullest, including suggesting that she travel to Rome to see Nirvana in concert. When her uncle dies, Maggie decides to fulfill his wish and travel to Rome, no matter the cost.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The story itself is not a bad one, per se, and I appreciated the "follow your dreams" theme and the road-trip-esque portion where Maggie and Eoin go to Rome. I was glad that Maggie felt things deeply and decided to really live rather than just going through the motions and accepting her fate.

***SPOILERS ABOUND BEYOND THIS LINE***

What I thought could have been better: Why did we need a setting of 1993? No teenager alive in 2014 would have been alive in 1993, which means this book is tipping dangerously into historical fiction territory a la Eleanor & Park. Would it not have been possible for Maggie's uncle to be obsessed with another band or type of music, etc., and for this same story to take place in the 2010s, with Maggie listening to her iPod instead of a Discman? I was also bothered by Maggie's first sexual experience (which occurs in chapter 7, if you need to take care and skip it). It's borderline rape; she's very drunk, she doesn't really pay attention to what's going on, so I wouldn't call that consent at all. Afterward she seems unaffected, which I found really odd. Also, the sudden appearance of this scene can be very triggering for abuse survivors. I know it's a good contrast to later events, but it was very abrupt and rather early in the story and I almost - almost - put the book down right then.

Bottom line: This will probably be an easy book to book talk to teens, but the mature content means I will only recommend it to older teens or to readers I know well enough to know they can handle it. This is not a "oh, the kid has a book report, let's grab this and be done with it" kind of book.

Recommended for: older teens, new adults
Red Flags: graphic sex scene in chapter 7, language (in both standard American and Irish slang), lots of alcohol use by kids and adults both; Uncle Kevin is a drug addict; Eoin's mother suffers from schizophrenia and attempts to kill him
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Eleanor & Park, Just Call My Name, Golden Boy,Charm & Strange

How It Went Down

Magoon, Kekla. How It Went Down.Henry Holt & Co. BYR, 2014.

Tariq Johnson is shot outside a store in his neighborhood. He's shot by a white man who flees the scene. The aftermath of this story is told from multiple perspectives - Tariq's mother, his sister, the girl who tried using CPR to rescue him, a minister who fancies himself a voice of the people, the store owner, the owner of another nearby store, etc. This obviously is a very timely work that is a good representation of current events.

I don't feel qualified to speak on the topic of race or discrimination, so I will leave that subject for other reviewers and instead focus on the narrative itself. It was interesting to read a story from so many viewpoints. I have enjoyed books with multiple narrators before, but this one had so many narrators it became difficult to distinguish between all the voices. That being said, I think having that many viewpoints on an important event like this made sense for the story itself; I just wish I had gotten to know the various characters a bit better. I am also glad that Tariq's little sister, who has a disability, was given her own voice. She wasn't there to highlight her disability; she was just there as a kid whose brother had been shot.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: lots of language, lots of violence
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future

King, A.S. Glory O'Brien's History of the Future. Little, Brown BFYR, 2014.

Glory and her best friend decide to drink desiccated bat dust mixed with beer. The next day they begin having visions. Every time Glory looks at a person, she sees both that person's past, including their ancestors, and the future of that person's progeny. Glory is understandably overwhelmed by these visions; meanwhile she's trying to decide what to do with herself after graduation and attempting to convince her father to come out of the decade-long cloud of grief he's been living in and to start working and living for real.

This book was bound to be weird. I understood the plot behind the weird relationship between Glory's family and the "commune" that was living on their property, but I got stuck on the bat: why in the world would anyone think it was safe or smart to drink dead bat dust? Ew. I don't understand why the girls didn't get horribly sick and end up hospitalized. All that aside, this book would be an easy one to recommend, and kids who like very strange books would probably love this one.

Recommended for: young adults
Red Flags: underage drinking, sex, Glory sees lots of nude pictures in her mom's old photography journals
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Belzhar, We Were Liars, Sparks: The Epic, Completely True Blue, (Almost) Holy Quest of Debbie