Review of Scowler by Daniel Kraus

Delacorte Books
for Young Readers

Scowler
by Daniel Kraus
3 Stars

Nineteen-year-old-Ry, his little sister, and his Mom eke out an existence on a farm that hasn’t grown crops in years.  Yet, this little family of three are content to live in peace. But when a meteor falls from the sky and Ry’s violent father returns, all hell breaks loose. Will Ry succumb to the influence of genetics or nurture, or will otherworldly influences tip the scales in one direction or the other? And, in his case, are any of the alternatives good ones?

This is a very dark work, told mainly via the eyes of the main character, Ry,and his three toy companions, Mr. Furrington, Jesus and Scowler, who he resurrects from his childhood to help deal with the trauma of his father’s menacing return.  Perhaps it is this darkness that prevents me from appreciating the work, although I have no doubt that it required a great deal of insight into the mind of both a child dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and the mind of a sociopath. Ry’s father, Marvin, is suitably hateful, obscene and abusive, and clearly illustrates the cycle of violence that can evolve in dysfunctional families. That being said, Ry’s character not only shows the effects of child abuse (and spousal abuse for that matter) but also reflects on the idea that such sociopathy might be inherited.  In either case, the odds are stacked against Ry, and this becomes clear from the onset of Marvin’s appearance. Part survival story, part psychological exploration, the novel will certainly sicken most who read it, although at times it becomes difficult to stick with the narration when the point of view switches into the voices of Ry’s toys.The strongest characters in the novel turn out to be the females. Linda, Ry’s “therapist” is the first to peel away the layers of psychological abuse, and his mother, Jo Beth, while impotent at first, eventually steps up to the plate to protect her children. However, it is the meteor that is a seriously perplexing plot addition. While it is clear why the author chose to place the influence of the meteor in the story, it remains unclear as to why the element he chose was a meteor when other avenues may have produced a similar effect ( I can say no more without adding a spoiler). For me, the arrival of the meteor was a ploy to swing the novel into a more sci-fi genre and attract sci-fi readers, even though the work is clearly more focused on inter-personal and dysfunctional relationships. So, those of you looking for a true work of sci-fi, look elsewhere, those who want a hard core, wicked, and disturbing story about dysfunctional families and abusive relationships, be sure to give this one a go.

Review of The Elite by Kiera Cass

HarperCollins Children's
Books

The Elite
by Kiera Cass
3 Scribbles
To be released 4/23/2013
Spoiler alert!

Six girls remain in the competition for Prince Maxon, and America is one of the favorites. Yet, America is still struggling with her feelings for her first love, Apsen, and she isn’t sure she has what it takes to be princess, and eventually queen. Meanwhile, rebel attacks increase and it becomes apparent that the palace is full of secrets. The clock ticks as the The Selection draws closer to an end. Will America resolve her feelings before it’s too late…and will she be Maxon’s choice?
The best part about the second book is the inclusion of tidbits from Illéa’s past. Details about the kingdom start to leak via America’s relationship with Maxon, and the entire caste system is explained. It seems the current King prefers to keep his people in the dark; America discovers that the history put down on paper is far different from the oral history that has been passed down through Illéa’s people over generations. Suddenly, the dystopian elements that seemed to be “tossed in” in book one, make a bit more sense.  America’s character is more fully developed. The reader may be disgusted by the hypocrisy of America’s continued relationship with Apsen while she experiences extreme jealousy over Maxon, yet this imperfection is what pulls the reader headlong into the story. . Aspen is America’s “one constant.” He represents America’s link to the past, and her inability to move forward. Prince Maxon, however, clearly has a hold on her heart, but that hold brings with it America’s encroaching adulthood—adulthood she is not ready to embrace. Maxon too is more fully developed. The reader finds a reason for his behind-the-radar changes to the kingdom, and begins to understand a new and unexpected dynamic in the royal family. Still, the dystopian elements take a backseat to the romantic elements of the story, and because of this, readers who love reality TV and romantic novels will more likely enjoy this series than those who love dystopian works like Divergent and The Hunger Games. And…if you were hoping to discover the winner of the competition, hope some more. It seems the winner will not be revealed until book three. Sigh. I guess I’m still in!

Review of Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Tor Books

Little Brother
by Cory Doctorow
5+ Stars

The United States Government is in place to serve and protect its citizens, right? After all, we are the land of the free and the home of the brave, yes? After reading this novel, readers may not be so sure.

Teenage computer guru Marcus and his crew find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time and end up being arrested by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). No big deal, right? They’re kids and they’ve done nothing wrong, or at least that’s what they think. But when they ask DHS for their parents, an attorney, their rights as U.S. citizens, anything, they are met with open accusations and hostility. Worse, it’s clear they aren’t going home anytime soon. Marcus doesn’t plan on living his whole life as a hostage to DHS—instead, he plans to sabotage the DHS system that targets American citizens and expose them for the terrorists they really are.

I’ll admit, I hardly came up for air while reading this novel, or maybe I felt breathless out of fear. It’s hard to believe that our government might intentionally violate the rights and privacy of innocent citizens, but I Googled “homeland security violated rights of citizens” and got 5,700,000 results in less than a second.  Scary. Of course not everything on the net is true, but if even 1% of those articles have some truth to them…ouch.  What DHS’s unconstitutional behavior (and make no mistake, they are the villains here) does for this novel is ratchet up the tension and paranoia and intensify the setting. I swear I felt like I was Marcus. I began to understand what it might feel like to be held hostage, to be innocent, and yet feel dirty.  I started looking over my shoulder. I totally understood his fear, his desire to cave, his rage, and in the next moment, his steadfastness in taking down DHS.  Marcus is a flawed character, and in those flaws he is totally real. Who wouldn’t get depressed or have doubts under such pressure? Perhaps what is best about Marcus is his commitment to the cause.  I’d like to think I would risk it all to end persecution, to stand up for what is right, but would I?  Another excellent component of the story is the author’s ability to explain highly technical aspects of the computer and online world in a way that non-techies like me can totally grasp. Yeah, the encrypting and encoding and whatnot are completely without question over my head, but I got it! Maybe that’s because all the characters have spot-on dialogue, or because Marcus just explains well. Through the eyes of Marcus, the author makes me feel smart, like I could hang with Marcus, and I feel involved in the action. In fact, I could hardly put the novel down!  Perhaps best of all is what I learned from the novel. I used to think that if someone had nothing to hide they should be an open book, but Marcus made me understand why this is not so. Check this rockin’ analogy.

Everyone uses the toilet right? There is nothing unnatural about it, nothing evil, nothing wrong with it, but I don’t particularly want to sit on a toilet in Times Square and display my business for the masses.  ‘Nuff said. BTW…the sequel to this novel, Homeland, came in my mail last night. Guess what I’m reading next?

Review of The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Balzer & Bray

The Madman’s Daughter
by Megan Shepherd

3 Scribbles

She should have been a Victorian lady, making her debut in society and finding a charming, educated man to spend her life with. Instead, Juliet is a chamber maid at the local hospital, scrubbing blood out of grout after autopsies. Her father, Dr. Moreau, was a renowned surgeon making strides in medical science, until it was discovered he was performing vivisection—dissecting living organisms to see their insides work.  When Dr. Moreau was banned from England and Juliet’s mother died shortly thereafter, her fortune forever changed—that is until the day her old childhood friend and family servant, Montgomery, shows up in London, and Juliet wonders if her father is still alive. If so, is Dr. Moreau really the evil monster the medical community has made him out to be?

I pre-ordered this book because (1) I loved the cover and (2) the synopsis hooked me.  Obviously, the story is a reimagined version of the classic by H.G. Wells, The Isle of Doctor Moreau, a novel I really enjoyed, so perhaps holding the original as the gold standard by which to judge this retelling skewed my judgment. I did enjoy the intrigue in the story. Of course I knew where the strange creatures on the island came from, but I was still riveted and appalled when Juliet stumbles into her father’s laboratory and witnesses the source of the tortured cries in the compound. The laboratory and its horrors are so well-described and so chilling I read through that section twice!  I also appreciated the characterization of Dr. Moreau; he is exactly what I imagine a crazed killer with wild ambitions to be—at one moment charming and bedazzling with excellent taste and rare moments of affection—and in the next moment, cold, distant, rude and dismissive.  His doesn’t exist on the plane that others do, he lives only for his pursuits of the forbidden—like most madmen.  I found the drawing of his character insightful. I began to understand not only his insanity, but the way others were drawn to him. Juliet, however, felt more like a sketch to me. Granted, she exists as a lens to reveal the story, but I wanted more for her character. Indeed, the author tries to engage her in a love triangle, but I simply didn’t buy into the romance or heat. The fact that she loves Edward and Montgomery could totally work and add tension to the story, but it doesn’t here, for some reason her attachments seem false. Maybe it’s because there is plenty of tension in the setting itself, with the jungle darkness, strange creatures, and an unknown killer on the loose.  And oh the setting! It is the setting that is the greatest frustration for me. Characters do a lot of running back and forth on the island, Juliet after Edward then Edward after Juliet, Montgomery after Juliet and Montgomery after Moreau…etc. etc.; it feels as if someone is saddling up at every turn, and I found such running about and accomplishing nothing exhausting. However, I suppose that’s unavoidable given the limits of an island setting. The ending was also a frustrating cliffhanger, but I suppose that is so readers will be motivated to buy and read book two. I do want to know what happens to Juliet, but whether or not I read book two really depends on what other reading option might be sitting next to the second installment on the bookstore shelf.

 

Review of The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Hyperion Books

The Darkest Minds
Alexandra Bracken
5 Scribbles

A virus has decimated the childhood population of the United States, and those children who remain alive have been infected with strange, paranormal abilities.  Just like in Nazi-era Germany, children are taken from their families once the aftereffects of the virus become evident, and the family is told the surviving children are getting treatment, medical attention, proper exercise and mental stimulation.  And while not all parents agree with the action, parents are in no position to argue—the government has changed, the economy is in shambles, and even Canada and Mexico have built walls to lock out U.S. citizens.  Ruby, taken from her home on her tenth birthday and imprisoned inhumanely for six years, is desperate to escape her concentration camp and find her way back to her grandmother.  Little does Ruby know that it isn’t just the government who wants to hold her hostage; there is war going on, and opposing factions are all on the prowl—collecting children as their weapons.

A major strength of this futuristic work of sci-fi is its unique setting—a United States in the midst of an economic apocalypse where citizens are so focused on the economic situation, they stand by and allow their children to be taken. Even though this may sound unlikely, one must only look to history to know such events are possible (Nazi Germany). What is slightly less unique to this novel is the virus that results in random paranormal abilities—a condition which feels suspiciously, very X-Men. However, strong writing brings a less comic book and more real-world feel to this work. The work is largely plot-driven. Blood soaked chapters in the first half of the novel move quickly and create a sense of desperation for the main characters, Ruby, Liam, Chubs and Suzume, all teenagers who have escaped camps and must hide out (since children are no longer seen in the public at large). Yet while the plot and conflict are center stage for the work, it is impossible not to bond with the main characters. Ruby, Liam, Chubs and Suzume ,a sort of rag-tag family despite their mistrust of others, a family that is seen largely through the eyes of the protagonist, Ruby. Readers will fall in love with Suzume, the pink-clad, silent little girl who desperately needs a female role-model, enjoy Chubs, whose quirky sense of humor and snappy one-liners will make the reader chuckle at the same time they are horrified, and idolize Liam, the rock of the group. And while suspicion and mistrust lace the novel, especially in the second half, when political intrigue multiplies, these characters remain true. The layers of political intrigue that form a sort of underground war that are created in this novel are admirable. In fact, they lay the groundwork for a series of possibly epic proportions. Factions have formed in the U.S. who all have a particular agenda, like the Skiptracers who earn bounty from captured teens, the Children’s League, who “rescue” children, and the Red Army, or the President’s secret, specially-trained forces. No individual or faction in this novel is as they first appear, and perhaps that is what makes this new release such an engaging and enjoyable read.  And since I don’t want to give away any big spoilers in the novel, I certainly cannot elaborate much on the juiciness in part two, which had me a bit skeptical in parts (particularly about Ruby’s behavior), but which absolutely sucked me in! Undoubtedly everyone who reads book one will be waiting to see what the next installment holds.

Review of Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Harlequin Teen

Speechless
by Hannah Harrington
5 Stars

Chelsea loves secrets, precisely because she never keeps them. In fact, sharing the secrets of other people has put her at the top of the social food chain. Chelsea is one of the most popular girls at school after all—everyone wants to bask in the spotlight with her and Kristen, Chelsea’s best friend—so, she’s not planning to clam up any time soon. But one night at a party Chelsea has too much to drink, and before she knows it she shares a secret that threatens the life of a student at her school, and threatens to make her a social outcast in the process.

The perspective in this edgy novel is what makes it so very powerful. At first, the story seems to be told from a villain’s point of view; let’s face it, Chelsea comes off as a heartless human being. Yet, it doesn’t take long before the reader starts to sympathize with her—to imagine what she must be going through. This story could take place in any high school, and we all know high school is a warzone. Like most people, Chelsea would rather feed on the misery of others than be a nobody, or worse, a meal for the social elite. And let’s face it, Chelsea loves that she matters and that people are jealous of her. Who doesn’t want to matter? So when Chelsea finally chooses to speak out for the right reasons and is (ironically) punished for it, it’s hard not to jump in her corner.  

The secondary characters, Asha, Sam, Andy, and even Noah are equally interesting; they all work at a local diner and have a tight bond. When Chelsea meets Asha in detention and starts hanging out at the diner with her, each of these characters begins to guide Chelsea without even realizing it, towards much-needed healing. Through each meal served and dish washed, Chelsea learns that forgiveness is a gift, “hate is easy,” and love “takes courage” especially love for self. Perhaps most amazing of all is that Chelsea remains quiet (or “speechless”) through the majority of the novel, and in her silence the author allows the reader to become her voice, to speak, and feel, for her as if by magic; it’s hard not to walk in Chelsea’s shoes and want to be her advocate—to fight for her. This is the brilliantly crafted story of a girl who learns from her mistakes and changes, really changes, by standing up for what is right.  And while the message is important, this is not simply a morality tale. Harrington takes the reader on an entertaining journey with truly interesting and relatable characters, funny dialogue and a little romance for seasoning –the message is just gravy.

Applause to Harlequin Teen for picking another winner!

A response to Life Happens Next by Terry Trueman

Harper Teen

Thomas

Life Happens Next
by Terry Trueman
5 Scribbles
When I read Stuck in Neutral, Trueman's first book, ten years ago, I remember being impressed by the story of Shawn, moved by Shawn’s character, his realistic and cynical voice and his internal struggles, and sympathetic to Shawn’s family. What must it be like to be trapped in a body which will not obey? I pondered this for a few weeks then went on with my life. I had no idea that, fast-forward ten years, I would be one of those family members caring for a severely disabled young man, and that Shawn’s story would at least in part, become my own.

Above right is a photograph of my stepson, Thomas. Thomas is 21 years old, weighs 64 pounds, is tube fed, nonverbal, wears diapers, has cerebral palsy, seizure disorder and other various developmental disabilities. Unlike Shawn though, Thomas does have some limited motor control. I married Tommy’s dad, Terry, several years ago, after thinking long and hard about whether I was ready to jump ship from my single, no-responsibilities life into a family situation. I knew that Thomas was in his father’s sole custody, and was to be our full-time responsibility. Top that off with the fact that Thomas’s dad travels for sometimes days at a time and at a moment’s notice, and you can see how my lifestyle might change. And oh, has it changed! Over these past three years I have cared for Thomas: fed him, changed his diapers at three A.M., bathed him, washed his bedding, cleaned up his accidents, wiped his nose and mopped up pools of drool, lifted him in and out of wheelchairs, cars, his bed…you get the picture. I have become his advocate, learning how to prepare for doctor’s appointments to make them rapid and efficient, how to file an appeal to a health insurance denial, what types of paperwork needs to be done in Thomas’s support on a yearly basis, what a “Trust” is, how to hold Thomas’s wondering hands and write a check at the same time at the grocery store, how to manage my time better so that I can work full time and still be there to get Thomas ready for school, what “Home Health Care” means and how to keep my tears under wraps when Tommy’s nutritional formula is delivered late. It’s been challenging, but I’ve learned much about myself and others in the process.

What I love about this sequel is what the reader learns about humanity through Shawn’s jaded thoughts and Debi’s tender, humorous voice. I have never heard my dear Thomas speak, but in these pages Trueman has gifted Thomas with a voice, and it shouts from every page. Thomas is very smart—I see it in the way he looks at me, in the way he laughs when his father and I kiss, in the way he reaches for me when I am sad, in the way he flirts with his sister’s friends, and in the way he becomes fixed on television shows and music. Thomas is magnetic—people recognize him everywhere, and he has a hug and a smile for everyone who gets near enough to touch him. So, in Shawn’s words, “what is God’s big plan” for Thomas? I have often wondered this myself as I bathe him or feed him. How will people grieve Thomas when he is gone? How will they remember him? What will he leave behind when he cannot work, get married, have kids, or even talk? In the words of Shawn’s mother from the novel, we live “in a society…that gives a material value to everything and everybody,” but that’s not really what it’s all about is it? We need to look past our bodies and see what Shawn calls the “souls and spirits” that live on forever. Unless we learn to “pay attention to [our] world” and to one another, we may never really know the wonderful people like Thomas and Shawn who have a little something to give—or people like Debi, who give us the gift of knowing ourselves.

Thank you once again, Terry Trueman, for giving kids like Shawn, Debi (and Thomas) a voice.

Review of Stealing Air by Trent Reedy

Arthur A. Levine Books

Stealing Air
by Trent Reedy
To be released October 1, 2012
3 Scribbles

When sixth grade skater, Brian, moves to a small town in Iowa from big-city Seattle, he sees it as an opportunity to “start fresh.” However, it doesn’t take long for Brian to land on the radar of the class bully, Frank, and to fall for Frank’s sister, Wendy.  It seems like things couldn’t get any worse—that is until Brian’s parents can’t find an investor for their company invention, Plastisteel. Now Brian has bigger problems to face.  If Brian can’t help the company find an investor fast, Brian’s family will lose everything, and Frank will be the least of his problems.  

One of this novel’s strengths is the fact that its main characters are layered. Readers will enjoy meeting Brian, an everyday kid who struggles with everyday decisions. For instance, when class brainiac, Max, makes friends with Brian and they begin to build a flier made of plastisteel, Brian has no idea that he will be in Max’s class at school. Once faced with the decision to sit with Max at lunch, Brian wonders if being Max’s friend is worth being seen as a nerd, and he must meet cowardice head-on—not an easy thing to do at any age, let alone in the sixth grade. Frank is your typical bully but he has a sad past and a caring sister; Max is a genius with a sophisticated vocabulary but he hides a dark secret; and Alex is a successful “bookie” whose family seems rich but might not be. Readers are encouraged to look beneath the surface of the characters and to make real-world application of this lesson. Of course, in every good “guy book” there is action, and this novel is no exception. Brian and his crew face dangerous risks to create a flier that will fly like a regular airplane but with none of the safety features, and like typical guys, they jump into the dangers head first. Each trial run is fast-paced, easy to read, and makes the heart pump; and in between test runs, Brian’s confrontations with Frank amp up the tension. Reedy does a great job portraying the way young boys interact with one another, all the while keeping dialogue squeaky clean. Couple that with traditional values and multi-generational families, and this book would be at home in any library, especially in smaller communities. For guys who only care about action, this book is for you, but for books with similar stunts and lots of humor try How Angel Peterson Got His Name by Gary Paulsen or Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos.

Review of Dark Song by Gail Giles

Little Brown Books
for Young Readers

Dark Song

By Gail Giles

4 Scribbles

Ames lives the fairy tale. Attentive, loving father who provides for the family. Mother who gives Martha Stewart a run for her domestic crown. Cute and cuddly baby sister. Quirky and loyal best friend. Mansion, exotic vacations, private school, cash flow—it is good to be Ames. That is until the bottom falls out. Ames’ dad barely avoids jail time for committing a white-collar crime, her mother turns into a shrew, her sister is afraid to sleep alone at night, and the family loses their house. Ames is not just angry to find out her parents aren’t the perfect people they pretended to be, she’s furious. What kind of parent violates the trust of their child like this? When the family is forced to move to a slum in Texas, Ames saves no time looking for someone to replace the parents she once loved, and she doesn’t really care who gets burned in the process. Most readers will identify with Ames because she is angry with her parents for their dishonesty and deception, who wouldn’t be? She is forced to face reality too soon—and in such a devastating way. However, what might be harder for readers to understand is Ames’ constant rich-girl whining…she’s almost comically sheltered from the real world; and yet, the reader will still stay firmly in Ames’s corner. True, Ames’s parents do take out their anger on Ames often in the story, but Ames is unable to see her part in the cycle of cruelty. Instead, she fights back by starting a relationship with a potentially dangerous 22-year-old, Marc, down the street. What she doesn’t realize is that this guy burns hot, and Ames is likely to get scorched. In trademark Giles’ style, the novel moves at a startling pace, with an introduction that teases the reader on, and short chapters that read like a roller coaster ride. Fans of Giles won’t be disappointed in this truly fractured fairy tale.

Review of A Monster Calls: Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd (audio version)

Candlewick

A Monster Calls: Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd (audio version)

by Patrick Ness

5 Scribbles—a marvelous tribute to the memory of author Siobhan Dowd

Conor has a dark, shameful secret. It is the kind of secret he cannot share—even with his beloved mother, who is now very weakened by her battle with cancer. But some nights, right after midnight, a Monster appears in the midst of Conor’s room—and the Monster knows Conor’s secret. When the Monster comes walking, will Conor’s secret be revealed?

Conor’s mother is suffering through continuous bouts of chemotherapy, and Conor must take care of himself at home and at school—where the truth about his mother has alienated him from other students. If Conor is anything, it’s tough and stoic, which is why it isn’t hard to believe that when the Monster first appears to Conor, he isn’t frightened at all—in fact, the Monster, as gnarly, as sinister, as powerful as it is, doesn’t encounter Conor’s fear, but his defiance. Readers can easily empathize with Conor. Faced with his mother’s death, there isn’t much else that can scare him, so—bring it. And the monster does bring it, but not through the power of his huge, earth-encrusted fists, or his thick, ropey calves, or his booming, angry voice. No, the Monster brings the fear little by little, through stories that reveal truth. Little, tricky, unfair, ironic truths that tickle the back of Conor’s thoughts and beliefs, that threaten to challenge his idea of what is fair, stories that ultimately bring Conor to the brink of despair.

There is much to admire in this story: the occasional humorous dialogue that reminds the reader how normal and young Conor is and makes the reader laugh when they really want to sob, Conor’s rage and need to feel an outward pain as he accepts the abuse of bullies, the weight of Conor’s grief and fear of loss, the imagery of the Monster. Ness takes the archetype of the Green Man and weaves it into the story so naturally that one can see the symbols of life, nature, personal growth, and rebirth at every stage without breaking the magical tension of the story. The tale is a masterpiece, a merging of myth with present reality, with all of our human idiosyncrasies, our fears and weaknesses. Ness has created a true horror story that will haunt all who read it for years to come, and isn’t that what a truly fantastic "Monster" story does?

Jason Isaacs, the narrator of the story, does a phenomenal job with voice; he quickly changes from the ferocious Monster to the natural, boyish and sarcastic tone of Conor with ease. His female voice is also well done and credible with only a few instances where the transition is rocky. Particularly impressive was Isaacs vocal presentation of Conor’s dad, a former Brit, now ex-pat American whose accent and word choices have gone awry. I would most certainly choose a novel read by Issacs again.

Review of How to Safe A Life by Sara Zarr

Little, Brown Books
for Young Readers

How to Save a Life

by Sara Zarr
5 Scribbles

When was the last time you took a risk?

For many of us, some of our most exciting, most cherished moments in life happen when we take risks, when we step out of the accepted mold and just…jump. But Jill doesn’t have to take risks. Her life is perfect; she has the perfect boyfriend, perfect friends, perfect parents, and perfect plan for the future—until Jill’s dad dies. Now Jill’s mom, Robin, wants to adopt a baby, and she brings a pregnant girl to stay with them until the baby is delivered. Jill’s voice begins the novel; her fierce rage over her father’s death and her skepticism about Mandy make her an unlikeable character at times, and yet it is just that authenticity that draws the reader to her. Mandy, the pregnant teenager, speaks in alternating chapters, and it becomes clear that this poor, naïve, and disused young woman has an odd sort of wisdom. It is not hard to quickly become invested in the characters, from gentle Robin to the perverse Kent. The reader will want wrongs set right, justice done, and villains punished, but like in life, only moving forward and celebrating what is good can heal old wounds. It is this exploration of possibilities, coupled with a very unique conclusion that makes this novel impossible to put down. In the end, for hurt and anger to subside and open hearts to prevail, it isn’t just Jill who may need to jump.

Review of Rotters by Daniel Kraus (audio version)

Delecourte Books
For Young Readers

Rotters

By Daniel Kraus

5 Scribbles

Macabre, morbid, monstrous…and mesmerizing…this is Joey’s life from the first chapter of Rotters, when Joey’s beloved mother dies, to the last page. Sentenced to live with his father, Ken Harnett, who is apparently employed as some sort of "garbage man," Joey quickly becomes a smelly social outcast, a starving orphan, and the target of every bully at Bloughten High. It doesn’t take long for Joey to realize that his father has an extremely dark and tremendously disturbing secret that is the reason for Joey’s martyrdom and why Joey’s future is about to change. Joey is a character that readers will embrace and love, for his weakness, for his innocence, and ultimately for his deplorable revenge. Kraus’s tale of woe challenges some works of YA described as "dark" and ups the ante. Kraus crosses moral boundaries that some may think should not be crossed, and takes the protagonist, Joey, to the very brink of insanity. This story, inspired by the "Resurrection Men" of world history, is written in graphic, visceral prose. Indeed, Kraus’s Poesque descriptions give writers like Andrew Smith of the Marbury Lens and Rick Yancy of The Monstrumologist Series a run for their money, and leave readers reluctant to enjoy the story while dining. The audio production of this edgy tale was the recipient of the Odyssey Award for the producer of the best audio book in the United States and Europe. Kirby Heyborne narrates a tale that sounds like it is told by a myriad of characters, skillfully and seamlessly switching from voice to voice without disturbing the listener’s experience. Kudos to Listening Library for their stellar production and most deserved award.

Lauren Oliver Contest

Lauren Oliver Posted the Following Contest on Goodreads. Check it out!
The winner will get a copy of Delirium and a box of exotic chocolates from Vosges, a Chicago-based chocolatier that makes some of the most deliciously unique candies in the world. They mix ingredients like star anise, paprika, curry, chiles, and even bacon with chocolate and it's just delightful. As an added plus, I'll even send you a copy of Pandemonium as a late-February "dessert" companion to Delirium.
http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/2037477-sweet-v-day-giveaway