Beautiful Music for Ugly Children

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children  by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

Gabe was born Elizabeth, but he has always known that (physical characteristics to the contrary) he's a guy.  

While still in high school, he came out to his family and to his best friend Paige.  Now, he's ready to graduate and get on with his life: leave town, move to the city where nobody knows "Liz," get a job in the music industry, and leave all his problems behind him.

Funny how that doesn't quite work out.

This is one of those Important Issue Books(™):   Gabe is still in transition, and not everyone accepts that.  His parents say they do, but they still call him "Liz" and pretend he's a girl. Some of the faithful fans of his radio show "Beautiful Music for Ugly Children" turn against him when they find out he was born female.  And a few people in town have violent intentions.

Will this book be informative, comforting and helpful to transgender teens and their friends and family?  Yes, definitely.

Is this a great book that will stand the test of time?  No, probably not.  The plot is contrived, and several of the characters (mostly the haters) are two-dimensional and moved without motive.  Paige and Gabe's musical mentor John are well-developed, although credibility is stretched by the coincidence of having the first DJ to ever play an Elvis Presley single on the radio (who also happens to own Elvis' very first guitar) living right next door to a kid who loves Elvis.

Do I recommend this as a first purchase for library collections?  Yes, I do.  Mostly because there isn't much like it available right now, and the kids (and adults) who need it do not need to wait several years while the genre matures and improves.  

Buy it in paperback, recommend it to teens, and keep your eyes open for more books on this topic.  

Because surely there will be more.

Station Eleven

Station Eleven  by Emily St. John Mandel

On an ordinary, snowy Toronto night, 8-year-old Kirsten Raymonde is onstage watching a famous actor playing King Lear die of a heart attack.

Three weeks later, almost everyone else present in the theatre that night is dead of a virulent mutant Swine Flu.

Four weeks later, almost everyone else in the world is dead of the virus.

Fifteen years later, the Earth is only sparsely populated by survivors of the virus and the social collapse that followed.

Kirsten is one of the survivors.  Twenty years after the flu epidemic, Kirsten is a member of the Traveling Symphony, a ragtag group of musicians and actors on a never-ending tour of the surviving settlements, performing Bach, Beethoven, and Shakespeare because, as the motto written on the first caravan says, "Survival is insufficient"  (a quote borrowed from "Star Trek: Voyager)

This is not a gentle apocalypse.  Some survivors have banded together in peaceful villages.  Others are drawn to Doomsday cults.  Some cling desperately to the glorious history of humanity, telling whispered tales of flying machines, air conditioning, and antibiotics.  Others eschew the past, wanting to spare their children the ugliness of the now-gone world.

The tale bounces back and forth along the timeline, from pre-apocalypse to various points in the collapse, which might be confusing but isn't.  Throughout the novel, the lasting power of art and literature lend small amounts of grace and strength to the characters. From Sartre's "Hell is other people" to Miranda's "Brave new world, that has such people in’t," this novel will deeply affect the way readers view their technology-enhanced world...and each other.

Although written and marketed as a book for adults, this story is highly recommended for readers ages 14 to adult.  Sexual situations are tactfully off-stage, violence is on-stage but not gory.

The Story of Owen, dragon slayer of Trondheim

The Story of Own, Dragon Slayer of Trondheim  by E.K. Johnston

Listen! For I sing of Owen Thorskard: valiant of heart, hopeless at algebra, last in a long line of legendary dragon slayers. Though he had few years and was not built for football, he stood between the town of Trondheim and creatures that threatened its survival. 

17-year-old Siobhan McQuaid spends most of her non-school time composing and performing music, but her entire life changes when she meets apprentice dragonslayer Owen Thorskard and agrees to be his bard, promoting his adventures by setting them to music.  Together, Siobhan and Owen not only learn to fight dragons, they take decisive steps to keep rural Ontario safe from dragonfire forever.   

At least, that was the plan.

Here is an alternative history of the world as we know it, with dragons.  Dragons attracted to the carbon emissions of humanity, bothering the likes of historical figures from Alexander the Great to Queen Victoria to Henry Ford, and emperilling civilization every step of the way. 

Adventure, heroics, music, and dragons.  But no magic.  Plus: Canadian heroes and completely awesome cover art!  This is listed as book #1 of a series, but stands alone nicely.

Minor cussing, burnt flesh and bloodshed (not gory, but necessary to the story).  Romance, but no sexual situations on the page yet--perhaps volume 2 of the series will bring more?  We can hope.  

Recommended for readers 12 to adult.

Steelheart

Steelheart  by Brandon Sanderson

Ten years ago, Calamity burst in the sky and ordinary human beings were transformed into Epics.  Some control the weather.  Some can stop bullets.  Some can electrically charge entire cities with a touch.  

Sounds like an ordinary teen flying-capes-and-tights superhero novel, right?  Except there's a catch:  not one of the Epics is a "good guy."  There's just something about using their powers that makes Epics selfish, cruel, and power-hungry.

Almost all humans cower before the Epics, except for a group of rag-tag renegades known as the Reckoners.  Using technology, ingenuity, and a bit of luck, they fight against the Epics.  Eighteen year old David is obsessed with joining the Reckoners.  But when he does, he discovers that fighting the Epics is a lot more complicated than he had thought.

Superhero battles with excellent action sequences interspersed with fabulous character development, plenty of humorous banter, plus a touch of doomed romance equals fabulous.

The only thing better than the book is the audiobook read by MacLeod Andrews.  This story had me making excuses to drive places so I could listen.  First in a series; volume #2 Firefight will be released in January 2015, and I will be waiting in line.

Recommended for ages 10 to adult.

Cress

Cress   (Lunar Chronicles, bk #3)

 by Marissa Meyer

Cress has been alone on a satellite circling earth since she was a very young child, with only her netscreens and an occasional visit from her Lunar guardian for company.  She has grown her hair very long and developed an excellent singing voice, a talent for computer hacking, and a taste for sentimental romances...and Cress longs for a handsome prince to rescue her from distress.

What comes along is not a prince exactly, but rather, a group of fugitives intent on de-throning the evil Lunar Queen Levana.  And they want Cress to help them.

This story is much more than a science fiction re-casting of "Rapunzel."  It is also a terrific, fast-paced, suspenseful and sweet coming-of-age tale.  With plenty of cliffhanger chapters and chases through deserts, underground passageways and outer space, there is much to love...including the clever but naive character of Cress.

Cress is part 3 in a series that will include at least 4 books.  Cinder starts the series, starring an unloved cyborg stepchild.  Scarlet is second, featuring a girl in red and her rather dubious lupine companion.  Winter (coming in September 2015) will focus on Queen Levana's beautiful stepdaughter.  A "prequel" to the series, Fairest, is scheduled for release in January 2015.

The book and the audiobook narrated by Rebecca Soler are highly recommended to readers and listeners ages 12 to adult.  No cussing, some violence, some blood, and a few very important kisses.

Spirit and Dust

Spirit and Dust  by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Teen psychic Daisy Goodnight works with local police and the FBI to solve murder cases.  Her talent for speaking with the dead is deemed "useful" even if the evidence she uncovers is not admissible in court.  But when the dead bodyguard she interviews gives her more questions and no answers, and the trail to a kidnapped girl leads to the Egyptology exhibit Chicago's Field Museum, Daisy learns that being a kick-ass psychic detective might be a lot more dangerous than she originally thought.

Ghosts, witches, magic, a jackel-headed god, and a tyrannosaurus rex, plus a hot young FBI agent and a good-looking son of the Mob, combined with fast-talking, smirky dialogue. Think "The Mummy" meets "Indiana Jones" and you won't be far off.

Action, adventure, some bloodshed, some death, and a few steamy kisses.  Although this is a sequel to Texas Gothic, the story stands alone well--and begs for a sequel!

Recommended for readers ages 14 to adult.

Finny and the Boy from Horse Mountain

Finny and the Boy from Horse Mountain  (ARC)  by Andrea Young

14-year-old Finny loves horses, and works at an elite show-jumping stable in exchange for riding lessons.  When she sees an emaciated horse by the side of the road, she arranges to adopt him (without telling her parents or the stable manager), and dreams of their success together.  However, the horse is huge, untrained, and potentially dangerous.  Can they ever find happiness together?

Yes, of course they can.  

All it will take is a handsome boy who happens to be a horse trainer, a kindly horse rescue lady who happens to be a retired world-class show jumping trainer, and a competent veterinarian who happens to enjoy under-billing kids for treatment and services

Of course there are other impediments to happiness, like the Snobby Rich Girl, the Loving but Neglectful Mom, and the Greedy Uncle straight out of Central Casting.

The first third of the book was fraught with plot and terminology errors.  However, the final two-thirds of the story rose up a bit from the mundane, ending with sweet romance and a thrilling horse race.  Horse-loving readers may roll their eyes at some of the goofs, but they will read to the end and cheer at the finish line.

No cussing, no sex.  Some bullying, some violence, some kissing.  Grades 6 and up.

The Dream Thieves

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

(book II of the Raven Cycle)

Continuing the story begun in The Raven Boys, the ley line has been awakened and now strange currents are racing through town.  Electrical surges, astonishing secrets, and weird dreams and nightmares are becoming more common.  In the middle of the magic are Blue, who is still not-quite-a-psychic, and the Raven Boys: Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah.

The hunt for the mysterious Welsh king continues, but the focus now is on Ronan's sudden strange ability to pull real objects out of dreams.  And, perhaps, out of nightmares.

This book does not stand alone, and leaves readers gasping for the two final books...which don't even have release dates from the publisher yet!  Ack.

The lush, imaginative writing should be no surprise to fans of this author.  But the plot twists!  If those don't surprise readers, there is truly no hope for redemption.  I am eagerly awaiting the audiobook edition, which early reports call "suspenseful" and "murky."  

No sex, no kissing (there's a reason!  not a lack of interest!) and only mild cussing, but plenty of action, magic and some scary violence and drug use. 

Recommended for readers who have already survived the first book, ages 14 to adult.

Name of the Wind

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The innkeeper is younger than he appears, and he chooses to be called "Kote."  It's not his real name.  He has reasons not to tell his new neighbors that he is really Kvothe--a man known in legend and song as a magician, a musician, a hero and a few other things.

Now, the Chronicler has tracked him down and Kvothe tells the entire story of his life for the first time.  The story will take three days to tell.  The Name of the Wind is the narrative of the first day.  The second day's narrative is told in Book #2 of the Kingkiller Chronicles: The Wise Man's Fear.  

Epic fantasy with magic, adventures, love and hate, and battles between good and evil.  Nick Podehl narrates the audiobooks beautifully, keeping the narrative line tense and engaging.

Recommended for readers and listeners ages 12 to adult.  Violence is mostly (but not entirely) off-page.  Book #1 has no sex or nudity, but Book #2 has much more (mostly off-page) of both, including Kvothe's account of a several-month's-long-tryst in the land of the Fae. 

Read the series slowly--Book #3, tentatively called The Doors of Stone, is not yet scheduled for release!

Blud and Magick

Blud and Magick  by Preston Norton

Edwin the Educated, one of the surviving Sages of Hazirrez Tower, is given the responsibility of raising a baby girl created from the ashes of the ultra-evil wizard Remmus Alrad.  He takes her away from the magickal realm of Trivaesia into the mundane world of Oklahoma, calls her his "niece" and pretends to everyone that she is completely normal.  But on the first day in a new school, 14-year-old Darla ("Alrad" spelled backwards--get it?) learns that her teacher isn't really her teacher, that her uncle isn't really her uncle, and that she is...not human at all.

The writing is rife with clichés (a hunchback guarding the castle and a vampire seeking revenge?  Really?) and many of the settings and themes seem copycatted from Harry Potter.   Not recommended for discerning readers, but teens seeking fast-moving paranormal  fiction with minimal originality or character development will enjoy the action and not worry about the lack of depth. 

No sex, no drugs.  Some magickal bloodshed, a potentially deadly virtual-reality game that is a dead ringer for Quiddich, and a dragon.  Sequels are clearly planned, and the sequels will probably include some romancing.

Snow in Summer

Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen
As a young child with hair black as ebony, skin fair as snow and lips red as blood, Summer leads a fairy tale life: her mother is beautiful, her father is the king of the garden, and all is well.  But when her mother dies in childbirth, Summer learns about living the middle part of a fairy tale, the part of the story where the wicked stepmother moves in and the young girl runs away to the forest to find safety with a bunch of little men.

Set in Appalachia in the 1930's, Jane Yolen recasts not just the "Sleeping Beauty" story but several other classic Grimm tales as well, with a fresh voice and an intriguing cast. 

No cussing (the word "witch" is noted as a side-step for another word involving mama dogs) and no sex (although Hunter clearly intends to have his wicked way with Summer before carving out her heart), and only a bit of blood...but there are several very poisonous snakes to watch for.

Recommended for ages 10 to adult.

Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses

Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses  by Ron Koertge
illustrated by Andrea Dezso

...For a while, the queen is content.  There's the baby

with skin like snow and the golden goblets

and the pomegranate juice and the rocking

and the cooing.  But there's always that small fire

just under her collarbone.

She summons the hunters, hard men with callused hands.

She asks, "Isn't there a wolf in the forest with teeth

the better to eat me with?"

"Indeed there is, your majesty, but--"

"No buts.  Have someone fetch my red cape.

And tell the king not to wait up."

The little match girl sells CDs on the corner, fifty cents to any stoner/any homeboy with a boner.   The Beast muses that he and Beauty are very happy now, but that sometimes he brushes his perfect teeth and remembers when they were fangs. And Bluebeard's wife agrees that her husband is weird...but omigod that castle!

Twenty three familiar stories.  Folktales originally collected and retold by the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault and Hans Christian Anderson are collected and retold again by Ron Koertge...and this time, the stories are tilted a little differently.  

Strong, sexy, sassy, violent, warped, and more than slightly kinky, these tales-in-verse are not the Disney version.  There isn't always "happy", but without doubt, these versions will stick with the reader "forever after." 

With the new attention being given to old tales on television programs like Grimm and Once Upon a Time, this slender volume of fractured tales and striking illustrations will easily find an audience.  Recommended for readers 14 to adult.

Minor cussing, sexual imagery and sexual situations, references to violence...just like the original folktales from which they were derived.

Divergent

Divergent   by Veronica Roth

Although raised by the Abnegation (self-denying) faction, 16-year-old Beatrice "Tris" Prior has never felt that serving others is truly the right "fit" for her.  At the Choosing ceremony, then, she selects Dauntless (courage) as her new faction...and immediately, she is told to jump off the side of a building.  This is only the first of a long series of frightening and usually dangerous initiation and training exercises intended eliminate those who do not embrace the new mission of the Dauntless faction.

Tris' suitability for Dauntless is somewhat questionable--her secret aptitude test results show that she is Divergent, and not suited only for a single faction.  This could be a strength...but Dauntless leaders are convinced that it is a fatal flaw, and Tris must hide her true nature in order to survive.

The narrative is quick-moving, thought-provoking and at times quite violent; Tris is attracted to one of the Dauntless trainers, but one aspect of her personal "fear landscape" (which I won't reveal!) puts this book onto the Sex in the Library list.  Great characters, fast plotting, and a sequel due to be released on May 1st, 2012.

Violence, sexual situations, on-page kissing, no cussing.  The film company that brought us Twilight has picked up the rights to Divergent and its sequels.

Highly recommended for ages 13 to adult.  This is Aarene's review of this book.  To read Mary Jo's review of the same book, click HERE.

Dreadnought

Dreadnought  by Cherie Priest

Mercy Lynch is a recently-widowed nurse working in a Confederate hospital during a strangely-elongated American Civil War when she gets news that her long-missing father is injured and possibly dying in the distant state of Washington.  Mercy immediately leaves the hospital and journeys West aboard the locomotive Dreadnought, surrounded by all kinds of characters:  a Texas Ranger, a spy, hostile Indian warriors, Union soldiers, Confederate soldiers, Mexican bandits, ladies of easy virtue, and a huge army of zombies.

Steampunk fun in the altered American West : it doesn't get better than this!  Don't look for historical accuracy here--the history of this  America has taken a sharp turn away from our reality, and into a very interesting place of its own.  Dreadnought is the sequel to this author's Boneshaker (another steampunk story, set in gold-rush Seattle), but stands alone beautifully.

Recommended for readers ages 14 to adult.  Some romance but no on-page sex (the ladies of pleasure go off-stage for business purposes), some drugs (including the drugs that turn soldiers into zombies!), some wartime violence, plus a few bloody scenes of amputation in a Civil War-era hospital.

Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

People in Katsa's world who have two differently-colored eyes are "graced": they have a special, magical talent. Some have a grace for cooking, others for training horses, and still others have a grace for foretelling the weather. Katsa's grace for killing was discovered at the age of eight, when she fatally smashed the nose bone of an inappropriate uncle into the man's brain. Since then, her uncle the King has honed Katsa's talent and exploited her ability to bully and punish his adversaries.

Unknown to the King, however, Katsa and her friends have formed a secret council which works to overthrow the corruption of power. While on a secret mission for the Council, Katsa finally finds a person with a grace that might possibly be a match for her own: Prince Po, who apparently has a grace for fighting. Katsa and Po journey together on a mission to rescue Po's beloved grandfather...a journey that becomes more perilous, and more enlightening, with every page.

Well-written, exciting, and romantic fiction recommended for readers ages 12 and up. No cussing, the fighting is relatively "clean," and all the sex is tactfully taken offstage.