Book Trailers: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and The Queen Bee of Bridgeton

There's really not much for me to say about these book trailers, except that they're awesome trailers for awesome books. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs will be out on June 7, 2011. The Queen Bee of Bridgeton, by Leslie DuBois, came out on May 17. They're both wonderful books, so be sure to check them out!

Review: What Happened to Goodbye

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Pages: 402
Release date: May 10, 2011
Website
Summary (from Good Reads): In the past two years, Mclean Sweet has moved four times. At each stop, she assumes a new persona, but it never quite works. Whether she's an effervescent cheerleader or an intense drama queen, nothing can permanently dispel the turmoil and rage at her mother since her parents' divorce. Sarah Dessen's novel about a teenager and her restaurant manager father captures the vulnerability that young people often experience after the dissolution of their family. A compelling story; strong characterization; and with a touch of romance.

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Once again, Sarah Dessen has done exactly what I want authors to do: pulled me into another world with amazing characters, great settings, and a fantastic plot. I was drawn into Mclean's world immediately and once there, I didn't want to leave. I started reading What Happened to Goodbye at work during my breaks and lunch hour, but that same day, I decided it was a book I needed to be able to read in one sitting if needed, so I set it aside to read something else until my weekend started. Once I picked it up again, I was drawn back into it easily, and by the time I was done with it, I was depressed that once again, I had to leave Mclean's world behind.

The best part of the novel for me was actually the basketball aspect. I love basketball. Love, love, love it. I prefer the NBA over NCAA (I'm a total Lakers girl), but the NCAA aspect was perfect. I loved it as a basketball fan, and I loved it as a reader because it created the perfect conflict for Mclean. I love it that Sarah Dessen comes up with things like having a character named after a basketball coach or after a poet--it's these unique touches that really make me love her novels. And I love it when she can take something like a unique name for a character and expand it into something that is so much more--something that becomes not just the conflict of the story but something that also becomes the anchor of the story, the things that tears characters apart but also brings them together.

As much as I enjoyed What Happened to Goodbye as a reader, I also noticed that when I read it, I was reading it as a writer. For anyone who wants to be a YA author, I think Sarah Dessen is a great example to follow. She does a masterful job of creating characters and placing them in settings that are new to them, and then showing us how they react to those settings. She does a great job with pacing her stories, with writing scenes that carry great importance no matter what the scene is. Sarah Dessen is the type of writer whose words carry great weight, and are chosen with such precision that they're there for a specific purpose. There is never any unnecessary material in Dessen's novels. And something I love, that has been said about Dessen before, is that she really does show her characters as complete people, with flaws, with strengths and weaknesses. And I love that, because as a writer, it's something I aspire to do with my characters, and as a reader, Dessen's characters are ones I can relate to, ones I can understand and love, even during their worst moments.

Sarah Dessen never fails to amaze me.

Overall rating: 5/5

Cover rating: 5/5

In My Mailbox: 25

In My Mailbox is an awesome meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Check out her blog for more info. Links are for Amazon; summaries are from Good Reads.

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Release date: May 10, 2011
In the past two years, Mclean Sweet has moved four times. At each stop, she assumes a new persona, but it never quite works. Whether she's an effervescent cheerleader or an intense drama queen, nothing can permanently dispel the turmoil and rage at her mother since her parents' divorce. Sarah Dessen's novel about a teenager and her restaurant manager father captures the vulnerability that young people often experience after the dissolution of their family. A compelling story; strong characterization; and with a touch of romance.


















I love Sarah Dessen, so I had to buy What Happened to Goodbye. I started reading it right away, but then decided that this is the kind of book I need to read at home, curled up in bed, so I took a break from it to read Bright Young Things (which I will post a review for soon).


I also purchased a copy of The Queen Bee of Bridgeton by Leslie DuBois. I already had the eBook that Leslie sent to me for review awhile back, but I had to buy a copy of the actual book, because a quote from my review is on the cover, and I am super-excited about it.


I haven't been doing IMM regularly for a while now, so other books I've purchased in the last few months:


Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
Ex-Mas by Kate Brian
She's So Dead to Us by Kiernan Scott
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly


And from the library in the past month:


Die For Me by Amy Plum
Firelight by Sophie Jordan
Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later by Francine Pascal
Tangled by Carolyn Mackler
Stork by Wendy Delsol
Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg
Pink by Lili Wilkinson
The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
Clarity by Kim Harrington
Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman
Like Mandarin by Kristen Hubbard
Recovery Road by Blake Nelson
Illegal by Bettina Restrepo


I should start doing IMM regularly again, otherwise, I'll always be playing catch-up when I do decide to do it. Looking at the list of books I've received in the past month, it's obvious that I haven't reviewed most of them. There's a reason for that, but now I'm thinking I'll review some of them after all, so keep an eye out for that.


What did you get this week? Happy reading!

IT: 25th Anniversary Special Edition

I've mentioned plenty of times that I am a huge Stephen King fan. He is one of my favorite authors. IT is one of my favorite novels. I re-read it last year and fell in love with it all over again. Tonight, when I was browsing Stephen King's website, I found out that this fall, Cemetery Dance is publishing a 25th anniversary special edition of IT.

I. CAN'T. WAIT.

Seriously. If I could pre-order it now, I could. Unfortunately, I can't. I will be checking every day to see when I can pre-order it from Amazon.

What's going to be included in the special edition: a new afterward by Stephen King, full-color wrap-around color artwork by Glen Orbik, and dozens of color and black and white interior illustrations by Alan M. Clark and Erin Wells.

It is going to be awesome.

For more info, check out Stephen King's website.

Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Publisher: Quirk Books
Release Date: June 7, 2011
Pages: 352
Website
Summary (from author's website): A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather—were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

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My initial thoughts when I picked up Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was, "Holy crap, cover and the photographs on the back cover are creepy." I couldn't stop staring at the picture on the back of two kids dressed in clown suits, eating a telephone cord, or whatever it is they're doing. I don't know what it is about that picture, but it really creeps me out.

I was thrilled, thinking I was going to read an awesome YA horror story, with creepy pictures to go along with it. I pictured reading something about ghosts or cannibals, a Stephen King-type story. After reading the novel, I don't know that I would call it a horror novel. Yes, it has some really creepy photographs that I love. It may even have a few creepy moments. But the peculiar children that I expected to be cannibals, or something else, with their own, creepy talents? Turns out they weren't anything like what I expected them to be. The "peculiar children" were actually very lovable, and not scary in any way. I love their unique talents. When you bring them together with the narrator, Jacob, they have a great dynamic. Ransom Riggs did an excellent job of making every character in the novel come alive.

The story wasn't what I was expecting, either, but it was wonderful. It was fascinating and thrilling. I made the unfortunate decision to read it during the work week, which meant I was reading it during my fifteen minute breaks and lunches. Bad decision, because as it turned out, I didn't want to put it down. I was sucked in from the very beginning, and I kept thinking about the novel throughout the day. The same is true for the photographs. The photographs that accompany the text are amazing. They are lovely, haunting, creepy, beautiful. They were placed throughout the novel in the perfect places, and even when I wasn't reading, I found that I couldn't get the images of the photographs out of my mind.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a wonderful debut. I can't wait to see what Ransom Riggs has in store for us next. Whatever it is, I hope it's similar in style to his debut, because I can't get enough of it.

Overall rating: 5/5

Cover rating: 5/5

In My Mailbox: 24

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. For more info, check out her blog.


It's been awhile since I've done IMM, so this week I'm only going to include the books I got for review. Book summaries are from Amazon. The links are also for Amazon.

High School Heroes by James Mascia
L&L Dreamspell
My review
What if…you discovered you had the ability to read minds? What would you do with that power? On Christine Carpenter's first day of her sophomore year at Thomas Jefferson High School she makes a startling discovery. She can hear peoples' thoughts. After convincing herself she's not going crazy, Chris must learn to control her amazing mind-reading ability. Using her power she quickly realizes her crush, the captain of the football team, is also blessed with a special ability. She is soon sucked into a world she never thought possible when two more of her classmates, and a teacher, turn out to have powers as well. What are they meant to do with their special gifts that can either help, or harm others? Christine soon finds out when a monster, lurking in the depths of her school, threatens to murder the student population. When it becomes apparent that the creature is someone she knows, she must decide whether to try and save him, or destroy the beast. If she chooses destruction, can she live with the consequences?

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Quirk Books
Review coming soon!
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather—were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.


What did you get this week? Happy reading!

Review: High School Heroes

High School Heroes by James Mascia
Publisher: L&L Dreamspell
Release date: August 30, 2010 (Kindle edition)
Pages: 298
Website
Summary (from Amazon): What if…you discovered you had the ability to read minds? What would you do with that power? On Christine Carpenter's first day of her sophomore year at Thomas Jefferson High School she makes a startling discovery. She can hear peoples' thoughts. After convincing herself she's not going crazy, Chris must learn to control her amazing mind-reading ability. Using her power she quickly realizes her crush, the captain of the football team, is also blessed with a special ability. She is soon sucked into a world she never thought possible when two more of her classmates, and a teacher, turn out to have powers as well. What are they meant to do with their special gifts that can either help, or harm others? Christine soon finds out when a monster, lurking in the depths of her school, threatens to murder the student population. When it becomes apparent that the creature is someone she knows, she must decide whether to try and save him, or destroy the beast. If she chooses destruction, can she live with the consequences?

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Reading High School Heroes was like reading a strange version of Stephen King's Carrie and Firestarter, only instead of it being a horror novel, it was a superhero novel. It didn't work for me. There was a lot going on in the novel, and I felt like nothing that happened was ever quite fully fleshed out (except the story of how the teens got their superpowers). I thought the characters were on their way to being interesting, but I also saw stereotypes in the minor characters (example: when Ethan and Christine go to the comic book convention, Christine describes the other people there as "scantily clad girls" and "overweight guys"). Those stereotypes disappointed me. There was also the instance of Christine getting a bloody nose after she used her mind control, and that disappointed me as well, because someone using mind control and getting a bloody nose as a result is pretty overdone. It was in the movie The Box. It's also in the Stephen King movie Firestarter (can't remember if it's in the book as well, though). So that was another thing I found disappointing.

The biggest disappointment for me, though, was the concept that if you're the good guy and you kill the bad guy, then are you still the good guy? I feel like that was main theme of the book, but it didn't show up until the end of the novel. I would have loved to see it explored more, since it's not a black and white situation.

I've read a lot of great reviews for High School Heroes, but I've never been a fan of superheroes, and this novel did not change that for me. People who like superheroes will probably love this novel, but it just wasn't for me.

Overall rating: 2/5

Cover rating: 2/5

Review: The Queen Bee of Bridgeton

The Queen Bee of Bridgeton by Leslie DuBois

Publisher: Little Prince Publishing
Release Date: May 17, 2011

Pages: 242

Release Date: Undetermined (currently listed as May 2, 2011 on Amazon)

Summary (from Good Reads): When fifteen-year-old Sonya Garrison is accepted into the prestigious Bridgeton Academy, she soon discovers that rich girls are just as dangerous as the thugs in her home of Venton Heights. Maybe more so. After catching the eye of the star, white basketball player and unwittingly becoming the most popular girl in school, she earns the hatred of the three most ruthless and vindictive girls at Bridgeton. Can she defeat the reigning high school royalty? Or will they succeed in ruining her lifelong dream of becoming a world class dancer?

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When I saw The Queen Bee of Bridgeton, it was love at first sight. I fell in love with the cover before I even started reading. And then I started reading, and I fell even more in love with this novel. And to give you a heads-up now: This is probably going to be one of my longer reviews.

Three things I loved about this novel:

1. It’s not about the rich girl who gets whatever she wants, except for maybe the guy she actually likes or the car she wants. To clarify: As much as I enjoy novels about rich girls, like Gossip Girl and the Pretty Little Liars series, I like novels about the regular, middle- and lower-class girls more.

2. I like it that it’s told from a black girl’s perspective. Most of the novels I read are told from a white character’s perspective, and as much as I enjoy those novels, it’s nice to read something that’s not about someone who is the same ethnicity as myself.

3. Speaking of ethnicity, I loved it that the concept of not being black enough for black people but too black for white people showed up in this novel. It actually reminded me of the movie Selena, when Selena’s dad talks about having to be Hispanic enough for the Hispanics, but white enough for white people, and how it’s a really fine line and a difficult thing to achieve. I’ve never seen this concept discussed in a novel other than The Queen Bee of Bridgeton, and I think it’s an incredibly important issue. Race in general is an incredibly important issue, so I’m glad it’s in the novel, and I think DuBois did a great job with exploring different ideas when it comes to race.

Aside from those things, there are so many things to love about this novel. Though it tackles some serious issues, it’s not without humor. I can’t possibly write down every sentence that made me laugh, because there are too many, but there were moments where I was definitely cracking up.

The writing is amazing, and there is one sentence in particular that I absolutely have to quote: “To see her dance was like having an exquisite ocean wave of loveliness pound against the walls of my heart” (page 36). I read that, and it blew me away. It is easily the best simile I have read in a long time. It’s one of those sentences that resonates so well with me because that is exactly how I feel when I listen to certain songs and read certain poems. Later, Sonya, the narrator, also says that she dances because she can’t not dance. She describes it as a stream of life-giving water that nourishes her soul. Her friend/crush Will says that he feels the same way about basketball. That resonated with me as well, because that’s how I feel about reading, writing, and running. I love it that I can relate to this novel in some way, even though Sonya and I are completely different in so many ways.

I adore Sonya. I wanted things to work out for her. I wanted her to get everything she wanted. My heart ached for her in places. I was happy and excited for her in other places. And the ending of the novel? It made me cry. . . . And that is something that rarely happens when I read. The Queen Bee of Bridgeton is now one of my favorite novels. Reading it is a huge emotional investment. It’s beautiful, serious, funny, sad, happy. It’s everything I want in a novel.

Overall rating: 5/5

Cover rating: 5/5