"Anya's Ghost" by Vera Brosgol

Genre: Life, Mystery, Graphic Novel

Target Audience: Young Adult

Date Published: 2011

A story about friendships, ghosts and staying true to yourself. Anya struggles with the everyday troubles of a teenage girl who isn't truly understood by anyone. Anya's unique outlook on life is brought on by her status as a Russian immigrant and teenage outcast.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a graphic novel and the art is really neat. It is done in monochrome colors and a fluid style that really set the mood. At its core, Anya’s Ghost is a tale of learning the importance of being true to yourself. The supernatural element is almost incidental.

I’d love to give it a full five-out-of-five but some parts of the tale seemed rushed (like the ending) and it seemed to cry out for a sequel. Essentially, there seemed to be something missing (at least to me). However it was a great read and you should go find a copy to read right now!

4/5 stars

"Alyce" by Rachel Vallerie

Genre: Horror, Suspense, Fantasy

Target Audience: Young Adult

Date Published: 2013

Alyce by Rachel Vallerie is the story of a sixteen year old girl who is kidnapped one night by a mysterious man called the Mad Hatter. He brings her to the strange world of Wonderland where she is held captive for some unknown reason. As the story progresses, her chances of ever leaving this crazy mixed-up world become more and more slim.

The author of this book is one of my very good friends and she wrote this for her Senior Project. I was also involved in editing it so I saw its evolution. Rachel’s writing has developed quite a bit over the year. She cleverly put a twist on what could have been a very cliched ending and surprised me with moments where you truly felt for the characters. As you can probably tell, this story draws quite a bit from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland which makes it quite an interesting read for those familiar with that story.

3/5 stars

(There is a copy of this in the SVS Library. Go check it out!)

"Sabriel" by Garth Nix

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery

Target Audience: Young Adult

Date Published: 1995

Sabriel is a fantastic coming of age story set in a wonderfully detailed world. It revolves around a girl named Sabriel and her search for her missing father. Sabriel is not your average girl, though. From a very young age she has been trained by her father to be the next Abhorsen. The Abhorsen functions as a countermeasure against the necromancers, the Dead and Free Magic that exist in the Old Kingdom. With her father missing  and the culture shock that comes from traveling between the Old Kingdom and the modern Ancelstierre, Sabriel’s adventure is quite difficult. As she travels, she collects an odd assortment of companions, from the talking cat Mogget to Touchstone, a fool with a mysterious and violent past.

I’m just going to come straight out and tell you to read this book. Sabriel has been one of my favorites since I was younger, and it is sheer pleasure every time I read it. The tone is eerie and intense while the world it is set in is fantastically complex and interesting. The main character, Sabriel, is relatable despite the fantasy setting and her past while still managing to be quite heroic and awe inspiring when called upon. Also this is the first in the Old Kingdom Series which has a new book coming out sometime this year.

5/5 stars

"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer

Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Life

Target Audience: Adult

Nine year old Oskar Schell is searching for a lock that fits the key he found in his father’s closet. He found this key in an envelope with the word “Black” written on it and he is convinced that behind the lock is some sort of final message from his father. Oskar is a fascinating narrator with a voice you would not expect from someone his age. In his search for the lock he seeks out people with the last name of Black. Although the Mr. and Mrs. Blacks pass through the story much like people going through a revolving door, Oskar’s small family is at the center of the tale.  Through flashbacks and letters to an unborn child (amongst others) his grandparents’ lives and loves are shown along with the tragic death of his father.

Set primarily in New York City in the aftermath of 9/11, ELaIC is a story about healing and family. Everything about the story and the writing is beautiful in a somber way. I don’t believe I can write anything that will do this book justice.

5/5 stars

(The Shepaug Library owns a copy of this book. Check if it's available for check out.)

"The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Genre: Romance, Tragedy, Life, Humor

Target Audience: Young Adult, Adult

Hazel is a teenage girl dealing with terminal cancer. Wait! Don’t scroll down or click the back button or anything drastic like that! Hazel may have cancer but this isn’t your typical cancer book. It’s more about living and growing up than death and dying. Hazel has been dealing with the idea of her terminal cancer for years. She goes through life reading and staying at home watching America’s Next Top Model. One day however, when she goes to her cancer support group (held in the Literal Heart of Jesus) she meets Augustus Waters. He’s charming and lively, an odd type of person to be in the cancer support group where people ride the elevator out and never come back. They form this awesome connection and proceed to really live again (telling you any more would be spoiler-y).

I read TFiOS this summer for my fiction summer reading book because I had read something else by the author and really liked his style. I loved this book. It was funny and heartbreaking (yes, more sad things, sorry) and beautifully written. It was a love story done right. I have said I don’t particularly like romance but this was beautiful and sweet and really atypical. TFiOS wasn’t just a love story though, it was a family story and a friend story and a life story.

5/5 stars

(The Shepaug Library owns a copy of this book. Check if it's available for checkout.)

"The Butterfly Clues" by Kate Ellison

Genre: Mystery

Target Audience: Young Adult (Girls)

The Butterfly Clues is the story of Penelope “Lo” Marin and her search for the truth about a murdered girl known only by the name of Sapphire. This mystery is not the only thing on Lo’s mind though. A year before the story begins Oren Marin, her brother, died leaving the Marin family a broken mess and Lo to battle her own inner demons. Lo hoards things, steals and has rituals she must perform before completing even the most mundane of tasks. Her social life is at a standstill and school is a chore Lo goes through in a daze. Sapphire’s death leads Lo to a shadow world coexisting with her quiet, “normal” life in Cleveland, Ohio. This community of runaways, criminals and other outsiders is called Neverland. Her guide through Neverland is a mysterious street artist called Flynt. As the story unfolds you realize that the people Lo meets are more deeply intertwined in the mystery than they at first appear.

I liked this book although I must say that it is not a happy, feel good tale so if that is what you are looking for in a book at this moment, I’d leave it for a later time. There is a romance subplot which, if that’s your cup of tea, might be a bright spot in the gloom. The story delivers you straight into Lo’s head which is filled with self doubt, guilt and shame. The Butterfly Clues is just as much about Lo’s struggle for control of her life as it is about the mystery of who killed Sapphire.  These themes and the general tone actually reminded me of Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, another good but thoroughly sad book.

4/5 stars