realistic fiction

Girl, Hero, by Carrie Jones (Flux, 2008)
When it comes to men, 14-year-old Liliana's surrounded by losers: her seemingly clueless biological father, her sister's abusive husband, an uncle who can't keep his hands to himself, and her mother's sleazy, live-in lover. With Liliana's beloved stepfather dead, the closest thing in her life to a hero is John Wayne. Liliana's seen his movies so many times that she's memorized every tough line he's got—but will it be enough to save herself and the people she loves?

While I enjoyed Jones' debut Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend, I felt Girl, Hero was stronger in every respect: characters, plotting, style. The prose is tight, the characters realistic and well-rounded, the situations painfully serious yet never devoid of hope. I loved Liliana, with her tough exterior, compassion for others, and refusal to dissolve in self-pity. The John Wayne motif unifies the story without becoming overbearing or distracting. Highly recommended for junior high on up.

Also (and more extensively) reviewed by Charlotte's Library.

A la Carte, by Tanita S. Davis (Knopf, 2008)
Lainey dreams of being a TV chef like her hero, (Saint) Julia Child. Unfortunately, while her cooking's great, the rest of her life is sort of the pits. Her on/off friend/crush Simeon is threatening to leave town and wants Laine to cover for him. Can Lainey help the boy she loves without losing her mother's trust and her self-respect?

It's a good story for (again) junior high and up, but any foodie will agree that the best part of A la Carte is the descriptions of Lainey's favorite recipes. Davis (whom Kidlitosphere readers know better as TadMack) writes mouth-watering play-by-plays as Laine finds comfort in creative cooking. As a bonus, each chapter break contains a recipe for one of Laine's easy vegetarian favorites.

I was having a gingerbread craving the other week, so of course I latched onto the recipe for Ma Dea's Gingerbread. Two thumbs up. I used the low-fat variation, the cayenne pepper substitution, sugar reduction, and crystallized ginger. No pan size was listed, so I used a 9x9", which worked nicely. The outcome was a rich, moist, red-brown cake, spicy and just the right level of sweetness. Yum! I'll have to try it again when I have fresh ginger.

Check out Jama Rattigan's interview with Tanita Davis!
Also (and more extensively) reviewed by Cheryl Rainfield.

Another blog-recommended winner from my past couple weeks’ reading is Quaking, a contemporary YA novel by Kathryn Erskine.

Fourteen-year-old Matt—prickly and isolated, sensitive and smart—is facing the latest in a long line of foster homes. She’s not expecting life with Quakers Sam and Jessica, and their autistic foster son Rory, to be any more stable than what’s come before. She just wants to get through the next two years of high school and move to Canada.

Of course, life isn’t that simple. At school, Matt finds herself singled out by her jingoist World Civ teacher, Mr. Morehead (Warhead) when, in her homework, she quietly voices her criticism of the United States’ Middle East policy. A bully she dubs the Rat has also singled her out for no apparent reason. Meanwhile, Quakers and other peace activists in the community are being threatened by “patriotic” hoodlums.

The real story, though, is Matt’s journey toward inner peace. You might expect someone with such an acerbic wit and strong opinions to be outspoken and fearless. Wrong—dead wrong. Instead, Matt’s response to the vandalism and bullying is to hide. The reason why is revealed slowly over the course of the story, as Matt begins to learn that flight is not the only alternative to fighting.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is Matt’s distinctive and compelling voice. Another is the realistic relationships between Matt and her foster family. No overnight miracles here—Matt is reluctant to let anyone get close, and though Sam seems to have infinite patience for her frequently rude behavior, Jessica does not. Most touching, however, is the slow evolution of Matt’s relationship with the developmentally delayed foster brother.

A couple of quibbles. In spite of a couple suggestions of hidden pain, the book’s villains, Mr. Warhead and the Rat, are just that: villains, unsympathetic, whose targeting of Matt seems sudden and arbitrary. Also, the ending seems rushed. After such a high-energy climax, I would have preferred more of a denouement than the two-page resolution readers get.

Even so, the positives far outweigh the negatives, making for a highly enjoyable read. And certainly the book provides plenty of timely fodder for discussion as the U.S. continues its controversial role in Iraq and the Middle East. It would be interesting to compare and contrast reluctant activist Matt with the socially conscious and outspoken Cassie of Brian Mandabach's Or Not. Strongly recommended for readers junior high and up.

Bloggers who led me to the book: Boys Blogging Books (Review and interview)

Filed next under the heading of books whose reviews on various blogs sold me: Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You, by Peter Cameron.

This is one of those books where everyone tells you it’s great, and it turns out they’re right. Eighteen-year-old James has always been a loner, always been a little depressed, but at times lately he’s been wondering if he wants to live. At the very least, he’s decided he doesn’t want to live the way his family and peers expect him to—namely, going to college, where he’ll be surrounded by all those dreaded people his own age.

James sounds stuck-up, and he is, a bit. But he’s also dealing with the pain of feeling so different and isolated from his peers—perhaps the rest of the world. Highly intelligent and sensitive, James has learned how to keep others from getting too close to him. His conversations with others are hilarious and sad, as he again and again turns others’ questions and comments back on themselves. His ridiculous conversation with his father in chapter 2, regarding whether James is gay, is what hooked me into reading to the end.

The book is definitely character-driven; it’s quiet, and only a couple of things could be said to “happen,” action-wise. Like any book about a disaffected teen boy, it’s been compared to Catcher in the Rye. In this case, it’s a very apt comparison, though to be honest, I enjoyed Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You rather more! It also reminded me of The Bell Jar, not just because of the depression aspect, but because of James’ frequent lapses into poetic musing and metaphor. When authors wax poetic, my eyes tend to skip. I had to be careful not to do so here; I would have missed some great images.

Other, somewhat silly, personal reasons for loving it: First, James’ habit of checking online real estate listings for cheap houses in the Midwest. I guess I'm justified, being 700 years old and actually somewhat ready to "settle down," but I do this more often than I should. (Even though I already live in the Midwest, non-condo real estate around here is basically unaffordable.) Second, James’ attitude toward his dog, Miró, who is given to looking at James “judgmentally.” The paragraph where Miró’s lying in the bathtub when James goes in to pee is priceless. Cameron must be a dog owner, no question.

Bloggers Who Led Me to the Book: