Ideal for reluctant readers and gentler-minded fans of paranormal fiction.
This uneven anthology proves less edgy than billed, but fans of paranormal romance will find much to like and several promising new authors to follow.
Among the standouts is Kitty Keswick’s “Death Becomes Her,” a Cinderella story featuring a haunted dress and satisfying surprise ending. In “The Secret Box,” Jill Williamson brings a fascinating era to life in her tale of a 13th-century crusader king obsessed with an Egyptian box and the secret it contains. Candace Haven’s “The Cold One” introduces Norse paganism in a Finnish setting as a girl struggles with her non-negotiable appointment as guardian of Viking treasure. Equally strong on atmosphere is Carmen Tudor’s “The Oast House,” where an unhappy teen finds solace in befriending the girl he discovers living in a derelict brewery. Loneliness also drives the unnamed heroine of Maria V. Snyder’s “New Girl” to accept overtures of friendship from an unsnubbable boy who approaches her in the school library. “To Hel and Back,” by Shannon Delany, author of the 13 to Life series, is a far-future, cyborg-human love story; though awkwardly executed and lacking the powerhouse originality of a writer like Margo Lanagan, it’s vivid and original. Proceeds from book sales benefit the nonprofit youth literacy organization 826 National.
Ideal for reluctant readers and gentler-minded fans of paranormal fiction. (Paranormal/short stories. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-61603-020-9
Page Count: 332
Publisher: Leap Books
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2012
A good story with some unexpected twists
After saving the life of a famous model, a 14-year-old Mexican-American boy learns the pressures of popularity and the definition of true heroism.
Dallas freshman Rawly Sánchez knows that life is not perfect. His older brother Jaime is in prison, while his mother’s Mexican restaurant is barely staying afloat. Now, he can’t even visit his brother on Saturdays anymore, or he will miss the required tutoring for the algebra class he is failing. Small bursts of happiness come in the comic books he loves and in hanging out with his nerdy, often-annoying, wisecracking Jewish best friend Nevin Steinberg. Things take a turn for the worse when someone accidentally sets a pig loose in his mom’s restaurant, and the incident makes the local news. Then, Nevin talks Rawly into performing as a duo at the school talent show, where he makes a fool of himself in front of his crush, Miyoko. Everything changes when Rawly misses his bus stop and ends up rescuing 22-year-old model Nikki Demetrius when her car plunges into a river. Instantly, Rawly is on the local and national news, hailed as a hero for saving Nikki’s life. The third-person narration follows Rawley’s journey as he learns who his real friends are and the difference between comic-book and real-world heroes.
A good story with some unexpected twists . (Fiction. 12-15)Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55885-711-7
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Arte Público
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
When 14-year-old Ty witnesses a brutal murder involving neighborhood thugs, he and his mom are put into a witness-protection program in a small town far away from their East London home. Now named Joe, Ty enters a new school a year behind and finds himself haunted by his past and torn between two girls: Ellie, a physically disabled teen who trains able-bodied runners, and her sister, Ashley. Despite lots of Briticisms and the occasional longwinded spells of narration, David pens a mostly fast-moving page-turner. Her characterizations feel mostly fully fleshed, and their dialogue rings true. The staunchly un-Americanized text results in some odd, culturally specific references that could confuse some readers unfamiliar with the milieu: Kissing Ashley makes Ty's body sizzle like sausages in a pan, for instance. The contemplative pages within the blood-spattered cover may disappoint readers more drawn to gore than to the self-reflection the experience renders in Ty. However, if teens can move past these speed bumps, they’ll find a complex, engaging read about a boy starting a new life by escaping his past. (Thriller. 12 & up)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84580-131-9
Page Count: 358
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
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