How to use this Page

The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children: A Novel by Keith McGowan; illustrated by Yoko Tanaka. Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. 2009. Brilliance Audio, 2009. Narrated by Laural Merlington. Review copy supplied by Brilliance Audio.

The Plot: A modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel. Sol and Connie Blink's father and stepmother have decided they don't want their children around anymore; luckily, there's a witch who will take care of the children for them.

The Good: "I love children. Eating them, that is." So begins the tale of Faye Holaderry, witch.

Hansel and Gretel is one of the more disturbing of the Grimm's Fairy Tales. What's worse, the witch eating children or the ultimate betrayal, that it's your parents who abandon you?

McGowan takes these two horrors, embraces them, and balances scary with funny. In his tale, it's not just a parent abandoning a child in a time of famine; oh no, it's much worse. It's parents who willingly turn their children over to the witch for every reason from bad grades to being kind to homeless people. Derek Wisse, turned over for disappointing his parents, doesn't disappoint Fay; not when "baked with secret ingredients and served with my very yummy homemade key lime pie." Mmmm, key lime pie. I love how the author uses humor, but also ups the horror by giving the nameless murdered children names, personalities, histories. Recipes.

As in the fairy tale, Mrs. Blink is a stepmother; McGowan plays with some of the fairy tale aspects, making Mr. Blink not who he seems. Various standards from fairy tales are used, twisted, reinvented, such as riddles, helpers, hunters.

Sol is 11; Connie, 8. Sol fashions himself as a scientist and inventor, like his mother, who died years before. Sol's scientific mind is a nice contrast against the magic of Holaderry. Holaderry has had to adjust to modern times (no house made out of candy or bread); but she is a witch who has lived centuries. Magic remains, even if its the magic of herbs, of hiding in plain sight. Sol and Connie find people who help them along; people who hinder; but ultimately, they need to rely on themselves and each other.

I love, love, love the ending. It's delicious. Your young horror fans will be thrilled. Grownups may worry about The Witch's Guide being too scary for kids (witches eating children! bad parents!) but kids will eat it up. Professional reviews vary as to whether this is for 9, 10, or 11 and up; I say, it depends on how much the reader likes scary stories. For someone like my niece, who loves Goosebumps and scary stories and Jurassic Park? Age 9. For other kids, it will be older.

I listened to this on audio, and the narrator realistically gave voice to a boy, a girl, a witch. Upon visiting the author's website,

My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme. Random House. Paperback edition 2009.

The Plot: Julia Child's memoir (with great nephew Alex Prud'homme) of how she became, well, Julia Child.

The Good: Having finished Julie & Julia, I had to pick this up to find out more about Julia Child.
Swoon.

OK, now with that over.

Child describes her life in France as a newlywed. Child and her husband, Paul (who met and wooed during World War II) travel to France for Paul's job shortly after their marriage. The Childs' married when Julia was in her mid 30s, Paul ten years older. Oh, to be in post-World War II France. Reading this is not just traveling through someone else's experiences; it is doing so to a time long past. Paris, sixty years ago. I adored all the details of living in France, traveling, and, of course, eating.

In France, Child falls in love first with French food and then with French cooking. Half of the book follows her as she discovers and builds this passion. The second half is about where she takes this -- plans to teach soon grow to writing a cookbook and then cooking on TV. As I mentioned in my review of Julie & Julia, I adore a book about someone who does this in their 30s and 40s and 50s.

Some of the interesting history in the book: Julia and Paul being liberal Democrats AND anti-communist AND anti-McCarthy. Current fiction set during this time period does not usually allow for or show this complexity.

The writing and process of creating Mastering The Art of French Cooking is detailed, in all its complexity. And time! Years and years it took, to write the book, to not just translate French into English but also to take into account American measurements, food (the flour is different!), eating habits.

Child is fascinating, enthusiastic, funny, passionate. On eating: "Our goal was to eat well, but sensibly, as the French did. This meant eating a great variety of foods and avoiding snacks. But the best diet of was Paul's fully patented Belly Control System: "Just don't eat so damn much.""

Julia and Paul's love story is touching and beautiful. She matter of factly addresses how they could not have children, decided not to adopt, but instead to embrace fully the life they had and live it. And wow, did they! How can you not love a couple that sends the following Valentine's Day Card to all their family, friends, and work colleagues: "a self-timed Valentine photo in the bathtub, wearing nothing but artfully placed soap bubbles." At the time, she's in her 40s, he is in his 50s.

By the way? While I love this book and Julia Child, and it makes me hungry, and makes me want to travel to Paris (but traveling to Paris in the 40s/50s may be tough), I'm still not motivated to start cooking Julia Child's French recipes.

Finally, my list of favorite books is for favorite books read in a year regardless of publication date. So yep, this is added to that list.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Betsy and the Great World (1952) and Betsy's Wedding; A Betsy-Tacy Story (1955) by Maud Hart Lovelace. Illustrations by Vera Neville. Read original hardcover editions (well, tenth or so printing original!) from library.

These two books are being reissued on one volume by Harper Collins, Betsy and the Great World/Betsy's Wedding.
The Plot: In Betsy and the Great World, Betsy goes -- alone -- to visit Europe. In Betsy's Wedding -- wait, I hope this isn't a spoiler? -- Betsy gets married.




The Good: For the first time, I'm glad that I didn't read the Betsy-Tacy books sooner. Because with these two books, Betsy is firmly in the grown-up world, and for children or young teen readers, that would have presented a barrier.

In Betsy and the Great World, Betsy is not in Deep Valley and she doesn't have familiar friends and family around her. (As a matter of fact, we find out that the whole Ray family has moved to Minneapolis!) Lovelace never has Betsy set foot on American soil, except in flashbacks. Great World has all those types of historical details I adore -- not just sailing to Europe and all that an Atlantic voyage involved, but also things like going to a Custom House to get your bags and not needing a Passport for a "mere trip to Europe."

Betsy is like the present day backpacker through Europe, except with a heck of a lot more luggage. Instead of hostels, she stays at a pensions and boarding homes. While her parents have arranged for some chaperoning, just as often Betsy is on her own to explore Munich, Germany, Venice, London. And as for her parents -- Betsy has dropped out of college. While her father isn't necessarily pleased with her college career to date, he does not give her grief. He talks to her about it matter of factly -- and offers to take the money that would have been spent on college tuition and expenses and use that to support her visit to Europe, agreeing that the life experiences she will get will be as valuable an education as college.

Betsy sails for Europe in January 1914 at age 21; she stays for months until war forces her home. Before that, we see a lost to us old Europe, before the World Wars. A Munich not associated with the birthplace of the Nazis; and because this is written in the 1950s, after both World War I and World War II, I read it as Lovelace's deliberate choice to portray Germans and Germany in a different light.

For the most part, Betsy is open to all she meets, to all people and experiences. Oh, she's not perfect about it. When she encounters true poverty in Algiers, she is scared and put off by the anger and hostility that goes along with poverty. Once in Munich, alone, she is lonely for the first time in her life and has trouble adjusting, realizing for the first time that making friends doesn't just happen.

I have a Ramona-ish confession. I always wonder about toilets and bathrooms. Lovelace, of course, does not share terribly personal toilet details; but she does share the lack of a bath! In Great World, Betsy does not have access to a bathtub. While she wants one (understatement of the year, no doubt) she never mentions lack of immersion bathing leading to herself (or others) being smelly. And one of Neville's illustrations of Betsy bathing is quite revealing!

Betsy's Wedding is about the first few years of Joe and Betsy's marriage. The book begins in September, with Betsy's return from Europe and ends a few years later, as Betsy's husband and the other young men she knows prepares to leave for World War I.

If Betsy and the Great World is one of my favorite Betsy books, Betsy's Wedding is, so far, my least favorite of the series. Tho, saying that is misleading -- it's like saying Mint Chocolate Chip is the last favorite of my favorite ice cream flavors. I love Mint Chocolate Chip! It's just not Coffee. This last, final book of Betsy's life has some great stuff. We see glimpses of many of the people we met and fell in love with in Betsy's life: Tib and Tacy, of course, as well as the fabulous Rays, but also Carny and Cab.

What else is good? Mr. Ray's common sense insistence that Joe have a job before he and Betsy marry, so Joe taking something other than his dream job. Finding out that Joe makes $155 a month and Betsy's budget allows for no more than $30 a month for rent. Think about this; it's less than 20% of his salary. And they get a one bedroom!

Betsy's adventures with cooking are intriguing; one could easily find articles today complaining about how today's kids aren't being taught to cook for themselves and what will happen when they are out on their own. Betsy's family, while not rich, do have a full time housekeeper/cook; but, we've seen both Mr. Ray and Mrs. Ray cook and bake. Betsy even had "domestic science" in school. Yet, Betsy's first attempts at cooking are not until she's married and in her own apartment, and, oddly enough, I kept on thinking of Julia Child, especially as Betsy is proud of serving canned peas and marshmallow pie. Betsy's cooking successes and failures are the same of many today, in their first kitchens, cooking for themselves.

Other wonderful details include Betsy and Joe getting a cleaning lady for help with the big stuff; Joe supporting Betsy's writing; Betsy supporting Joe's night shift job by adjusting her own hours to match his. The peak into the life of twentysomethings in the early 1900s.

So what is it that made this my least favorite? Well, out of a series ONE has to least, right? Part of it is all the young marriages. Tacy and Betsy discuss Tib not being married, and instead working and wanting her own car. Tacy: "When girls don't marry young, they get fussier all the time." Betsy: "And Tib will soon be earning so much money that she won't meet many men who earn as much money as she does." Tib: "That would be bad." Betsy: "And then she'll start driving around in her car, and getting more and more independent, and she won't marry at all, maybe! And then what will she do when she's old?"

Yeah.

Don't worry! Tib gets married by the end! Don't you worry about that money and independence and fussiness!

And then, all the husbands go to war, all the High School boys are in uniform, with a patriotic wedding, shiny uniforms, three month officers, as if going on a great adventure. And you know? Reading this while listening to Maisie Dobbs? I wonder at the pure enthusiasm Lovelace is able to muster to write about a war, given that she saw Europe before, saw not one but two World Wars, and -- I would think -- had seen the loss of war. I wonder, is this the difference between the English experience and the American experience? Did Lovelace see those boys and men return, uninjured, so her book doesn't reflect, even as a shadow, the despair and death and waste of a generation?

And so, the two reasons I don't like the book? Have nothing to do with the book itself. I haven't yet read The Betsy-Tacy Companion: A Biography of Maud Hart Lovelace; but I know that Lovelace and her husband, Delos, didn't marry until 1917, three years after Betsy and Joe. I have no idea what her experience with the war was. In a way, I can understand why Lovelace made these changes; these books are fiction, after all. And it is her story to tell, and Betsy's Wedding does end on a moment of happiness and contentment, with the three girls together as women. Perhaps Lovelace didn't want to cast a shadow on the joy of these three, even if the reader knows the shadow was coming. Maybe I am being too much a reflection of my times, it not understanding Lovelace's portrayal of the war.

Now, off to track down the Carny and Emily books and to read the Companion!

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Liar by Justine Larbalestier. Bloomsbury USA. October 2009. Reviewed from ARC. Copy from publisher.

The Plot: Micah is a senior in high school. She lies. She knows she has to stop; and on page one of Liar, she promises to tell you her whole story with no lies.

Micah tells you about herself, her school, Zach (the senior who just went missing), her family. And she tells you the truth. Except when she is lying. She cannot help herself; it's not just a bad habit, it's something she inherited. Her father, she tells us, is also a liar. And with the family illness that got passed down to her, she is almost forced to lie.

But reader... she'll tell you the truth. Or, at least, admit when she's lied. Or when she lies about the lie.

What is true? When can you believe a liar?

And what happened to Zach?

The Good:

Larbalestier creates such a sense of foreboding -- of impending doom -- that the reader can almost taste it. Something bad has happened. Something bad will happen. What is it? What secrets have turned Micah into such a liar? As Micah says, "Weaving lies is one thing; having them weave you is another."

Then, suddenly, half way through the book, Micah shares it. Her secret. The reason she lies. Suddenly, it makes sense. All the clues are there for the reader to figure it out. Finally, the reader can breathe easier. Now we know. We know and we can trust again. And the book shifts to mystery, a different type of suspense, the tone changing dramatically, as Micah tries to figure out what happened to Zach, and, now that she's being honest with us, her role in it.

Except.... is she telling the truth?

First person narrators aren't always unreliable. Sometimes, they are used to make something more immediate, to create a stronger connection between reader and story. At other times, such a narrator may not know the whole story, and the reader, wiser, more removed, is supposed to know more, see more, and to figure things out before the narrator. And sometimes...they play with us. They know the story. They decide what parts to tell us. Or not tell us.

Here, the narrator lies.

Micah lets us know, up front: Lies. Liar. And at the end of the book, the question for the reader becomes -- when do you believe Micah? When do you not? And what does that say about you?

Larbalestier's writing is brilliant; Micah's voice seduces us, tricks us, makes us want to believe in her, yet we are also afraid, unsure, uncertain. We know her; her school; her family. Or do we? Just how good a job does Larbalestier do? While I know Micah is manipulating me, the reader -- I never feel like Larbalestier, the author, is.

The wonder of this book, the beauty with how it is crafted, demands that you, as the reader, do not say "Rosebud was a sled" to people who haven't read this book. Wait until they are done; find a secure, sound proof room; and then talk away, about Liar and Micah and Zach.

Links:

Teaser
Twitter Review

The Original US Cover:

My post, Don't Judge a Book By It's Cover, pretty much sums up my opinion of the controversy. As a quick recap, the image to the left of a white teen was originally planned for the US cover. This created a lot of controversy (see my link above), and ended up being resolved by the publisher creating a new cover, the one you see at the top of this post.

I'll add this: I still believe there is a larger issue here. If publishers and bookstores truly believe that books with people of color on the cover (or books about people of color) don't sell, the easy way to counter that opinion is to buy, read, review, display, and book talk all books. It's a business; and if the sales and money show the publishers and bookstores a different reality, they'll believe it.





© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. Walker & Co. 2009.

The Plot: Brittany Ellis. White, rich, all the latest clothes, a brand new car. Alejandro "Alex" Fuentes, Mexican, member of the Latino Blood gang. A chemistry teacher who insists on alphabetical order makes these opposites chemistry partners; but will opposites attract?

The Good: Perfect chemistry? Try perfect romance instead!

Brittany and Alex are real, live, breathing people, as are the supporting characters. I'm in love with all these people!

Brittany Ellis -- rich and spoiled, right? But her outward perfection is a desperate attempt to make everyone believe she is a perfect daughter, perfect student, perfect friend because at home things aren't perfect. She creates a fake life of outward appearances, trusting no one; but she still has truths she holds onto. Brittany loves her sister, who has cerebral palsy, and will do anything to help her sister. Brittany has the strength to know her own heart and mind. Since Perfect Chemistry is told in alternating chapters, first Alex, then Brittany, we see how others see her, and her truth. And yes -- she can be bitchy. And dishonest. But she also is committed to her sister and her family.

Alex Fuentes is what he looks like: a gang member, like his father before him. But what you cannot tell from looking at him: he dreams of college and escape. But if he leaves, who will take care of his mother and younger brothers? If he's in the Latino Blood gang, it means his brothers don't have to be. To protect them, he has created a fake-life, the life Brittany sees, tough talking, ready to fight, carrying guns, committing crimes. But he has a truth: he is committed to his family; and while he knows he can never leave the gang, he does well in school and is a decent, nice guy. Like Brittany, he isn't perfect; he has a temper and can be judgmental.

Alex and Brittany, thrown together by the fate of alphabetical order. As the year goes on, they both begin to see the truth about the other.

This is an AMAZING romance. And H.O.T. There is heat, it is steamy, it is awesome.

The gang life is not glorified. There is bloodshed, deaths, drug deals, arrests. But, the gang members are not vilified; this isn't a message book. It's clear that the gang meets a need; for Alex, it's a way to protect his family. For some of his friends, the gang becomes the family they lack.

Plus, bonus -- this is also a mystery. Alex was six when his father was killed; and Alex is beginning to ask questions, to try to solve his father's murder.

Like I said, this isn't a message book; it's not didactic. But there are some things a reader can take away: do the right thing. Love matters. Life is made of hard choices. But, again -- this is not preachy. There is meaning and depth here.

My only disappointment? I wanted MORE! So I was very psyched to see at the author's website that Rules of Attraction, the sequel, is coming in 2010!

Last note: I moved this up on my TBR pile for a couple of reasons. One, I was looking for more books with covers of people of color, and Alex, who is Mexican, is featured on the cover. Elkeles is not Latino, but from the endnotes she reveals that she carefully researched Alex's world to make it as realistic as possible. Two, I heard Elkeles speak at ALA, and she is TERRIFIC. And funny. And caring. And really, truly believes in teen literacy and in writing books for boys and girls. Seriously -- while, yes, this book IS a Romeo & Juliet romance (and a great romance!), it is also a story full of action. Yes, teenage boys will like it. Also, she has a great website for Perfect Chemistry with a video, and playlists!

And yes...it's one of my favorite books of the year.






© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Going Bovine by Libba Bray. Random House. September 2009. Reviewed from ARC supplied by publisher.

The Plot: Sixteen year old Cameron Smith is just another slacker at his Texas high school. Until he gets diagnosed with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (aka mad cow disease), starts seeing angels, and ends up on a road trip to DisneyWorld with a dwarf, a yard gnome, and an angel.

The Good: This is so different from Libba Bray's other books -- I love when an author can do multiple things well. I don't see anything in Cameron's voice that reminds me of Gemma Doyle; the world in Going Bovine so different -- it's a joy to discover just how multi-talented Bray is, because all you can think is "Holy Hannah, what is she going to do next?"

There's some things I think I don't like in books. Then, what happens, is a book comes along that has the things I don't like and I realize it's not that I don't like something -- I don't like it when it isn't done well. Why, I wondered, do I want to go on a road trip with Cameron? And a dwarf? And yard gnome? This is just getting ridiculous. I don't do ridiculous.

But then, I remember, I do. I love The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Thursday Next delights me. Like Douglas Adams and Jasper Fforde, Bray throws out casual one-liners that are just fantastic; the book is so full of wry observances and over-the-top humor that I'm sure I missed half of what was there. This book demands a reread.

And a reread is needed not just for the humor; but also for the layered storytelling. Flat out the back of the book says, "Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit." If I told you the movies this reminded me of, I'd be giving spoilers. Which is why suddenly, instead of writing a long review, I'm coming up short. Because the joy of all 480 pages is not just Cameron's discoveries, but the reader's discoveries. And I'm not going to take that away from you.

Bray addresses serious questions -- about life, and belief, and what it means to live. Why does Cameron need the threat of death to wake him from his life? Do we live to our fullest? Much like Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal and Dogma, something that may be viewed as blasphemous actually asks the most serious of questions.

Hey, did I mention there are also Norse gods? Physics? Inuit Rock Stars? Music? New Orleans? All-U-Can-Eat Freedom Pancake Towers? Bowling? Smoothies?

Not only is this going on my favorite books list for this year; but I predict this being on starred/best of year lists. Also, this needs to be crossmarketed to adults, who will eat it up.

Links:
Teaser
My Twitter Review

Jen Hubert's Reading Rants review (which is brilliant)

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group. Publication date September 2009. Reviewed from ARC from ALA.

The Plot: Two teens, strangers to each other, starting at a new high school.

For Aurora, it's welcoming, all the kids like her, she doesn't have to worry about who to sit with at lunch.

For Lucius, not so much. Not that he really cares; but the kids who say "hi" to Aurora shun Lucius.

What's the difference? Is it that Aurora looks for the good in people? Is it that she is beautiful? Dresses perfectly?

Is it that Lucius has hooks for hands?

Oh. Yeah. Did I mention -- Lucius blew his arms off.

But when wounded, isolated Lucius sees beautiful, sweet Aurora; and Aurora looks into Lucius's eyes; sparks fly.

He's crazy, she's beautiful, can they wind up together?

The Good: LOVED THIS. Love, love, love.

Alternate chapters tell this story, first from Lucius's view, then Aurora; there are some clever overlaps, such as both are given pancakes and orange juice their first day of school, yet both have vastly different reactions to their breakfast. We see Lucius starting school, not expecting friends; Aurora starting school, nervous but expecting to like people and be liked.

We also, from the start, see and feel the spark between these two. And let me tell you - H. O. T. There is attraction; and there is tension; but of course these two crazy beautiful kids cannot get together at first glance.

See, Lucius used to have hands. Did up till a year ago. Back when he was a nerd, back when he was a science geek, and had a lab in his basement. An explosion; he blew up the house; and he lost his hands. His family is in a new house, a new town, trying to start over. And Lucius is trying to adjust to his new life; his life after.

Aurora's life looks perfect from the outside; just as she looks perfect. But what people don't know is her mother died last year; a slow five years in the making death from cancer. What keeps her from being unbearably sweet -- unrealistically sweet -- is that she truly is nice. A niceness honed by loving her mother, caring for her mother, and being taught to look for the good in people. Which is why, when she looks at Lucius, she sees him as a whole person, not hooks. Had this been only Lucius's point of view, we may have never understood Lucius falling for her. By seeing her view, her way of looking at the world, how she lights up when sees Lucius, we know her and want these two to connect.

This is an amazing love story, between two people you root for, who have realistic obstacles to overcome.

But it's also the story of a very wounded teenager. Not just physically. Lucius's world exploded -- was destroyed -- because of something he did. Literally. And it's not just himself he hurt; while they escaped injury, he also hurt his family. They lost everything. He's working out what he did to his family; to himself; what type of person he is, after; what type of person he was, before.

But it's not all love and angst (though there is plenty of both); there's also humor. Lucius has a younger sister: "mostly it's like [Misty] got the memo that kid sisters are supposed to be incredibly annoying and she follows those instructions religiously." But later scenes show a sibling bond that Lucius is either hesitant to admit to; or to guilty to acknowledge. Right, humor! Anyway, there are some scenes between Lucius and Misty that had me giggling.

What else? So much else! Because I could also do a paragraph on the parents; and the school dynamics; on Lucius's friendship with the school security guard and his realization of what friendship means; and I haven't even mentioned the school play, Grease, and those gosh darn Australians.

And it's not a long book! Baratz-Logsted does a beautiful job with conveying emotions, scenes, people with just a few words and lines. This is why I love young adult writers; they get to the point. They don't waste time with words that aren't needed and that take away from the story. Instead, it's the pure story that is told. Crazy Beautiful may be short; but it has more than enough to fall for Lucius, to champion Aurora, to know their friends and family, and, at the end, when the last final line is read, to turn back to the beginning and read it again.

I guess I'll sum up this way: check the sidebar, because this is another Favorite Book read in 2009.


© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading by Lizzie Skurnick. Avon, an imprint of HarperCollins. 2009. Copy supplied by publisher.

I feel like I should put a disclosure in this review -- Lizzie Skurnick is my best friend.

The problem with such a disclosure is, of course, that Skurnick and I have never met. (I hope Skurnick isn't now on the phone to her lawyers, reporting me as a potential delusional stalker). But having read Skurnick's essays on teen books, Shelf Discovery, I am convinced that somehow we are friends. How else to explain how she wrote about my favorite books? She has snuck into my house and looked at my bookshelves; she has remembered the titles I have forgotten; she has eavesdropped on my fifth, seventh, ninth grade self as I sat and talked books with my friends.

One big difference exists between the child/teen reader I was and the one I am; at age ten, eleven, thirteen I said I loved a book; that someone had to read a book; I knew I was getting something important from a book. But to put it into words? No. Skurnick takes those best loved books, treats them (and the young reader) with respect, and, as an adult, explains why, exactly, that book worked so well for the reader. At times I nodded along with agreement (yes, that's exactly why!); and at others, I was hit with the sudden realization of just WHY a book meant so much to me.

Skurnick on V.C. Andrews: "Andrews writes like a non-native speaker who has done time in a jail where they only show 1960s sitcoms and One Life to Live, and my small heart aches and blood runs from many small paper cuts as I read her, beating my small fists on the pages." Not only does Skurnick explain Andrews' style, she also imitates it. Honors it. And here is the thing -- upon occasion, as here, Skurnick brings the snark but done the right way. With love.

Because Skurnick is writing about the books she loved, these are books that were published in the 60s, 70s, and 80s (with a handful of titles, like Understood Betsy that are even earlier). Books that were out, and read, before the current golden age of YA. They are the books that we, the readers in the 70s and 80s and 90s, chose to read. Wanted to read. Found, ourselves, on library shelves, in classrooms, passed on from a friend, picked up at a garage sale, found in a bookcase at home. And while there is a so-called classic or two among these pages (because even classics can be loved), most are not. They are classics in our hearts; because we remember and love them; not because of committees and teachers and assigned summer reading and classroom book discussions.

Reading this is like a discussion with a friend; Skurnick throws out a reference to Canby Hall totally assuming we will know exactly what she is talking about; and we do. And smile a little. And wonder if somewhere we have one of the Canby Hall books, to revisit. The jacket covers shown for the books are not the current ones but the ones that we had; and no matter how much we may think they are "bad" now and know that they wouldn't be picked up by any reader today, they are ours, our firsts, so we love them best and want that. exact. copy from eBay to replace the one lost or stolen or thrown out or sold at a garage sale.

A handful of the books reviewed were also reviewed at Skurnick's Fine Lines column for Jezebel; but even those essays have been revised. While some adults will (like myself) remember reading these books (even if we forgot the title of Beat the Turtle Drum we totally have memorized "if we were all on a boat and the boat capsized, and we had only one life jacket, they would put it on Joss"), others (I know from talking to the parents in libraries) have blanked out the books of their childhood and teen years. They forget that yes, teen books did have s.e.x. (please reprint Norma Klein); and gay characters; and bad things happened liked YOUR PARENTS SENT YOU TO CAMP TO KILL YOU. Good lord, the current parents who are so sensitive on behalf of their children (but really are sensitive as to how they are being portrayed in fiction to children, it's not really about their kids but about them) need this reminder of just how godawful the parents were in the books we read.

Having finished Shelf Discovery, I want to reread old favorites with the new insights from Skurnick. I want to track down the books I had never heard of. But I also want to pick up the phone, call Skurnick (tho if we're friends I guess I can call her Lizzie) and say, what, no A Summer to Die? No The Last of Eden? And she'll say, Liz, I included To Take a Dare, what more do you want from me? No one else on the planet knows that book, so be quiet already. And I'll pull out my copy of To Take a Dare and say, remember how Chrysta's dad wouldn't give her the pills, and we'll just continue talking about the books.

Twitter Review

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

The Sweet Life of Stella Madison by Lara M. Zeises. Delacorte Books/Random House. 2009. Copy supplied by publisher for review.

The Plot: Stella Madison is the 17 year old daughter of foodies; and not just any foodies. Her father is a world famous French chef; her mother owns and runs the "Open Kitchen" restaurant. Stella's idea of fab food? Burger King. Kraft Mac'n'cheese. Yet somehow, she's gotten herself a gig at the local paper, reviewing restaurants. Luckily, Jeremy, the new (and cute!) intern at her mom's restaurant is there to help her out. (Did I mention cute? And older? And flirtatious?) But what about world's best boyfriend, Max? Oh, yeah. Maybe life isn't so sweet.

The Good: Romance, self-discovery, humor, good food, what's not to love?

You could hear the pain in her parents' voices from Stella not inheriting their tastes. But at the same time, they have a good enough sense of humor -- or at least her Mom does -- to laugh at the idea of Stella writing about restaurants. It's nice how Zeises has her cake and eats it, too. The young foodies who read this will swoon (as I did) over the menus from the guest chefs at Open Kitchen; the fast food crowd will grimace with Stella and look forward to the hot dogs. Parents like Laura will say "please God, not my child. My child will love blue cheese."

Of course, there is more to food than meets the eye. Turns out, Mom and Dad, while not divorced, have been separated for six years. And that Dad, as the dedicated chef and wine lover, leaves every year for four months of traveling, tasting, and drinking in France and not once has brought Stella. Suddenly, Stella's rejection of what her parents center their lives around makes a whole lot more sense.

Now, onto Stella, Max (the boyfriend) and Jeremy (the intern). This is a great triangle for a couple of reasons. First, don't you hate triangles where one guy is so obviously wrong that the girl looks stupid? That doesn't happen here. Second, don't you hate how complex emotions are looked at in a simplistic way? Again, not happening here. Stella may call herself "boy obsessed" but quite simply she is attracted to two very different guys at the same time. There is no simple "Team Max" or "Team Jeremy" (That said, I'll let you know in the comments what Team I'm on). In the real world, attractions can be complicated and messy. And also fun and flirty.

Stella works through her issues -- with parents, food, and boys -- in a tightly plotted book that (not counting epilogue) covers just a few weeks. Several things are going on in Stella's life and the three story lines intertwine and balance each other. This book is a tidy 228 pages; it is so refreshing, after several-hundred-page megabooks, to have a return to a book whose length won't scare readers away.

You know, I have to take something back. Stella doesn't have issues with food -- she has issues with not liking the same food her parents do. No food issues here -- which brings us to another great about both Stella, and Zeises for writing Stella. She's not size two. She's described as normal and healthy; cute ("criminally cute", actually); both boys like her; and at one point, Stella mentions the size of a shirt she wants as being either an 8 and 10. She talks about cute clothes and two piece bathing suits. Thank you, thank you, thank you for a book about a girl who really is a normal size, and eats normally, and her size and eating and diet is never an issue. Because that size? Despite what magazines and tv shows tell us? THAT is normal and healthy and cute.

For the grown ups: guess what? Open Kitchen is real! Or kind of. Due to my mad Google skillz (and Zeises's author's note) I found Celebrity Kitchens in Wilmington, Delaware. Which is basically the Open Kitchen model: famous guest chefs cook in front of the audience, sharing their specialties. It's only two hours from my house; maybe it's doable on a Saturday...

I'd also like to point out something about Zeises. You know how it's all about the online tie-ins for book? Zeises did that years ago. No, really; in 2004, she had a blog for the character of Lucy Doyle from Contents Under Pressure. Five years ago, Zeises realized and used the power of the Internets to promote her books.

And, also? Sometimes I'm slow. It took my to page 194 to realize that Zeises was pulling a L'Engle/Dessen by referring to characters from other books. I KNOW. Isn't that awesome?

More awesome; Zeises is fairly blunt about the business aspect of YA at her blog. If you believe authors write to express creativity and don't, you know, pay bills or have vet bills for sick dogs, don't read it. She also shares recipes (because, like Stella's parents, she's a foody).

Links:

Bookends, A Booklist Blog review
Bedtime Booktalks review
Twitter review


© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Columbine by Dave Cullen. Twelve Publishing. 2009. Copy from library.

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, high school seniors, entered Columbine High School. They killed twelve students and one teacher, and then committed suicide.

Dave Cullen has covered the story since day one. Columbine is about what happened on April 20th; what led up to it; and what followed.

In particular, it firmly ends many of the myths surrounding Columbine. Interestingly, the truth has been out there; Cullen wrote The Depressive and the Psychopath, published in Slate, in April 2004. Yet ask most people, and they won't say this was the case of a psychopath but rather the result of bullying and jocks and revenge and disappointments.

Why? Because it's easier to think that what happened was fixable -- "Let's not bully!" "We can stop bad things from ever happening by just being nice!" rather than admitting that at sixteen -- the age Harris, then a sophomore, first began planning his attack -- a teenager was a psychopath. Rather than addressing how we recognize and treat depression in teenagers. Rather than trying to know when a dark twisted story for creative writing is a sign of a future Stephen King or the warning (or boasting) of future killer.

It's easier to think Harris and Klebold snapped because of one incident, one loss, one act than to consider that as early as April 1998, police were aware of death threats, pipe bombs, and hate-filled websites to the point where a warrant was drafted for Eric Harris's house.

"Outcast" is a comforting label to use, because we can see those outcasts and tell ourselves, "not OUR kids." When the truth is, the two teenagers had jobs, friends, dated -- Klebold went to his prom the weekend before the attack -- and were intellectually gifted. Klebold was part of the "Challenging High Intellectual Potential Students" program in elementary school. Harris's teachers were consistently impressed with his knowledge and intelligence.

Columbine is not an easy read; and it's a book that cannot be put down. Cullen starts with weekend of the school shooting, then both backtracks to bring us fully into the heads of Harris and Klebold and goes forward, relating what happens during the attack and the years afterward. We uncover, slowly, what happened and why the teenagers planned what they did as well as see what actually happened and the aftermath, including how the media, investigators, parents and survivors reacted.

Both Harris and Klebold left a stunning amount of information about what they were thinking and planning, in journals, websites, diaries, diagrams, and school assignments. Cullen is especially effective when contrasting the face Harris presents to adults (counselors, lawyers, teachers) as having "learned his lesson" and saying all they want to hear with his private journals that spill over with hatred and contempt and amusement in having fooled yet another person. These teenagers had plenty of people who listened to them. Who wanted to help. Yet not many were in touch with one another to compare information to realize the full picture of what was happening; and Harris was a gifted liar.

This book does not glorify Harris and Klebold. Cullen shares minute by minute, second by second, their actions at the beginning of the book, with the first two students killed and the mayhem starting. But he does not continue the intimate timeline of what went on in the school until the end of the book -- when we have a better realization of what Harris and Klebold intended (blowing up the school to kill all inside, regardless of jock, friend, preppy, Goth) versus what happened (the bombs did not work). Then, the end -- and while some moments in the library are shared, including what happened to some individuals as well as refuting the Cassie Bernall myth, Cullen thankfully does not share a second-by-second account of the slaughter in the library.

Cullen keeps this book factual, without ever being voyeuristic. It is not a "true crime" book. There are no photographs of Harris or Klebold or their victims; no crime scenes; no diagrams of the school. We do not see photos of the guns they used or illustrations showing where the bodies fell.

Columbine does something else; it reminds us why we need good professional investigative reporters. This book reflects a tremendous amount of time, effort, work, dedication, talent, professionalism and caring. Newspapers, magazines and journals must find some way to survive their current crisis so that people like Cullen can continue doing their job.

What does the reality versus the myth mean? Especially for readers and reviewers of books where the myth of the bullied shooter crops up again and again? As I said above, I personally think bullying gives us the answer we want. We can use it to stop bullying (if you're mean, you could turn that kid into a killer); we give ourselves the illusion of control (I'll be nice to that loner and that will change his life); and it allows us to be "anti" the popular kid (we always knew those popular jock cheerleader preppies weren't as nice as they pretended). All which play out in books and novels and film.

I read Hate List by Jennifer Brown before reading Columbine; but I had read Cullen's articles on the shooting and reviews of the book. As I say in a review planned for later this summer, Brown does not go the "blame the bullying" route (though bullying takes place). Instead, she backs away from labelling that shooter at all; and the main character in Hate List reminded me of the numerous friends of Harris and Klebold who, while aware of their fondness for guns or a hobby of making pipe bombs, had no idea they were planning a massacre.

Links: Reading Rants review
A look at the Oprah taping with Cullen (ultimately Oprah decided not to broadcast it)

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Going Bovine by Libba Bray. Random House. September 2009. Reviewed from ARC supplied by publisher.

Sixteen year old Cameron Smith is just another slacker at his Texas high school. Until he gets diagnosed with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (aka mad cow disease), starts seeing angels, and ends up on a road trip to DisneyWorld with a dwarf, a yard gnome, and an angel.

That description cannot describe just how fantastic this book is. My full review will go into more detail. Bray has created one of those rare things in books. A character so fully realized, so alive that you know him. He's that real. And his adventures may be wacky and weird, but you believe in them, you believe in Cameron. At 480 pages, this is a book you never want to end. You want to savor the words, the humor, the language, the inventiveness of Bray ("the Church of Everlasting Satisfaction and Snack 'N' Bowl"), the ride; you don't want your time with Cameron to end.

Dig your ARC out from BEA. Put it on your "must get" list for ALA. Add it to your orders for when it gets published in September. Yes, it is that good. I am trying to compare it to something, in part because every plot synopsis I read did not engage me; rather, it was readers I respected saying "OMFG you must read this." Multiple readers. But this came to me this morning. Going Bovine is the heir to Douglas Adams. All those readers (adults and teens) who have adored The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for its mix of humor and seriousness and inventiveness will be reading and reading Going Bovine. Hell, Adams started with killing the population of the Earth and we laughed; so what's wrong with laughing as one teen struggles with mad cow disease?

I want to keep on talking about this... but that will have to wait until closer to publication date!

Teaser: A mini post about a book I've read that won't be published for several months. The full review will be posted closer to the publication date.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Liar by Justine Larbalestier. Bloomsbury USA. October 2009. Reviewed from ARC. Copy from publisher.

Micah is a liar. She tells you so right on page one: "My father is a liar and so am I." And on the same page, she says: "I will tell you my story and I will tell it straight. No lies, no omissions." Micah is a senior. Zach, another senior, has gone missing. Micah may (or may not) have been dating him. Micah may (or may not) have been the last person to see him. Micah is a liar...and you're never sure when she's telling the truth. Does Micah even know what is true? What is a lie? And what has happened to Zach?

Without giving anything away (and leaving my full review for closer to the publication date), I will also add: this is a wonderful tale of suspense, with multiple mysteries, and a sense of foreboding and doom in the first half of the book that you can practically taste. It is not only being added to my Favorite Books Read in 2009 list; it's also going on my list of books I think are potential award winners.

Post that made me read this book: from Librarilly Blonde.

Teaser: A mini post about a book I've read that won't be published for several months. The full review will be posted closer to the publication date.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Bad Kitty Gets a Bath by Nick Bruel. A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press. 2008. Personal copy.

The Plot:

How to give a kitty -- especially a bad kitty -- a bath.

The Good:

Since last year my reading was all about YA, I missed gems such as this one. Bad Kitty Gets a Bath is aimed at beginning readers, but doesn't talk down to them.

All too often, because beginning readers/early chapter books are about strengthening reader skills, they are simplistic, both in vocabulary and story. This book is perfect for that reader who is moving beyond basic readers, who wants something more interesting and entertaining, but who doesn't want a long, text-heavy book. Yes, it's all well and good that some kids are reading Chaucer in kindergarten; but the other kids deserve good stories, too. Bad Kitty Gets a Bath is a book that will make a reader of any age laugh. And it's not a book that looks young or babyish; other kids are not going to snicker at the child reading this book.

On to the book itself; as the title says, it's about giving a kitty a bath. Many reluctant readers like non-fiction; this book appeals to that need, with facts about cats and how cats clean themselves and baths, and even includes a glossary. The illustrations are wonderful, adding a layer of meaning and humor to the text. But, the book also works just reading the text; I think it would work very well as an audiobook.

I laughed out loud for most of this book; it's a Favorite Book for this year. How much did I love it? I bought my own copy. That's love, what with the spending the money and needing to find room on the shelves. The second bit probably won't be a real problem; I'm sure the niece and nephew will pounce on it and claim it as theirs and take it home.

The Publisher's website includes a few pages from the book, so you can see the brilliance.

Flygirlby Sherri L. Smith. Putnam. 2009. Copy supplied by publisher.

Want to know what I think about Flygirl? And why it's being added to My Favorite Books of 2009? Well, you're going to have to click over to the YALSA Blog to find out.

Plus: My Twitter review.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. Delacorte Press, Random House. Publication Date: April 2009. Advance Reader's Copy supplied by publisher.

The Plot:

Mary's life in the village is predictable. The Sisterhood, the Guardians, and the Guild keep the secrets and protect the village. People follow the rules, whether it's staying away from the Fence or marrying the person you should, not the person you want. When Mary loses her parents and her family, she begins to ask questions and to want more than to love or be loved. Before she can figure out the answers, the Unconsecrated threaten to overrun the village.

The Good:

I can't help myself on this one.

Zombies! And good, old-fashioned zombies: dead, slow moving, moaning, hungry, stoppable only in the traditional ways. And, most importantly -- the zombies are horrible, scary, terrifying, ever-present. All you who read and loved World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War don't have to know anything else; you will love this book. Trust me.

Now, for those of you who I didn't have at "zombie."

The Forest of Hands and Teeth, like any good horror movie (or Buffy), uses the threat (here, zombies) as a metaphor. Mary wrestles with questions about life and love, about asking questions or staying happy with the status quo of her life. The walking dead represent both Mary's fears and her limited choices.

Ryan uses language beautifully; the true horror of the Unconsecrated (never zombie) is revealed slowly. Mary has always known them, as they claw at the Fence, moaning, a constant soundtrack in her life. "...I hear a familiar clank. It is the sound of the Unconsecrated pulling at the fence. Looking around, I realize that I have come up in a small clearing far away from the village that is protected by a ring of fence twice as tall as I am. The Unconsecrated are beginning to swarm around me. Two steps in any direction and they could reach me through the metal links. Blood hammers through my body, panic clouding my vision, making my hands shake and pound with the rhythm of my heart."

But the language isn't just awesome when describing the zombies and horror; there is also the everyday joys. Mary falls in love with one boy; yet it's his brother who loves her. "It's a warm day and he's sweating and I press my mouth against his skin, tasting his salt on my lips. I want to melt into him, to forget every barrier between us and it is everything I can do to suck in air and sit here and not press myself harder against him. He's not mine but Cass's and I know I should turn away, leave this place. But I am not strong enough to do so. Just this last time I want to revel in his essence, to wrap it around me like a memory."

And, with death around her -- the dead literally surrounding the village every day -- there is still the loss felt by someone dying. "Never did I wonder what my mother believed. What sort of life my mother lived at my age. So acutely do I miss her at this moment that I want to crawl into myself with shame and longing."

Does Mary find love? Do the zombies break through the Fence? Will we get more books in this haunting, haunted, beautifully shown future world?

Finally, Carrie Ryan is a lawyer. As a former lawyer myself, you know I love authors who are lawyers!

Edited to add: My first Favorite Book Read in 2009!

Links:
Reading Rants review
Pinot and Prose review
My Twitter review