Geography Club September 25, 2007

Hartinger, Brent (2003). Geography Club. NY: HarperTempest. 226 pages.

Being a gay kid in high school is, at least for Russel Middlebrook, kind of like being a secret agent in enemy territory. But things change for the better when he and other, er, like minded individuals form the geography club. That is, until he realizes that there’s only so long he can keep a secret once he’s shared it.

I really enjoyed this book – there was a lot it had to say on a number of key, teen appropriate messages, but there was also real heart behind it so it never really seemed preachy or grating. The depiction of a Typical American High School seemed a bit caricatured – the cliques were a little too stereotypical and the jocks were very… jock-ish. Though the general callous sort of cruelty teenagers can treat each other with? Pretty much spot on. I liked Russel’s budding relationship with Kevin (though the details were disappointingly tame), and I liked how it played out, even though the foreshadowing had all the subtlety of freight train. And I (somewhat sadistically) loved his horrible dates with the girl his friend sets him up with. The book read a little short though, I think there could have been a few more pages rounding things out. Or maybe I just need to read the sequel, The Order of the Poison Oak.

Booktalk Hook: Did high school ever make you feel like a secret agent in enemy territory? Then you can relate to Russel Hartinger, the only (or so he thinks) gay kid at Goodkind High School.

If you liked this book: I’d recommend Nobuta wo Produce – it’s a drama series based on Japanese young adult novel by the same name. I’d recommend the book too, but I haven’t seen a translation for it. In any case, there aren’t any (non-subtextual) homosexual themes in this show, but the ending of the book really reminded me of the feeling I get from Nobuta… which is actually the highest compliment I could ever pay the Geography Club.

Octavian Nothing September 25, 2007

Anderson, M.T. (2006). The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol 1: The Pox Party. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. 351 pages.

Octavian Nothing grows up in luxury, educated and pampered, the son of an exiled princess. Only later does he learn that he is actually a slave, and the subject of an experiment to determine if those of African decent can mentally equal those of European decent. And that winning a war for freedom may not guarantee freedom for everyone.

This novel is definitely not a comfortable read. Whenever the beauty and fluidity of the author’s prosed had lulled me, some shocking – and vividly rendered – horrible event (torture, bodily functions, or death, usually) would occur. It’s just that kind of book.

That being said, the voice of the novel is excellent and realistically captures the tone of the rational philosophers of the American Revolution, and unlike some other historical fiction about this period, this book also digs really deeply into the complexity of the social and political beliefs of the time.

Booktalk Hook: What if your whole life was one big experiment? And what if it was rigged against you?

And if you like this book: Maybe you’d like Illusion by Paula Volsky. Both books are about a character who falls from a life of luxury into a time of war and strife, and both have a lot of gritty detail.

City of Bones September 25, 2007

Clare, Cassandra (2007). City of Bones, the Mortal Instruments series. NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books. 485 pages.

Clary Fray is your average teenager – if you don’t count her fabulously beautiful, mysterious, genius artist mom. Unfortunately her fabulously beautiful, mysterious, genius artist mom DOES count, and when she goes missing, Clary’s search for her ends up drawing her into a world of demons, angels, hot boys, and mortal peril.

Reading this book was sort of like eating cheesecake, I liked it for the first two bites and then everything after that was too much and gave me a stomach ache. I usually dig these supernatural romances, with all the angst and drama – but this book had about three love triangles too many. Well, there were only three total, but I’m not particularly fond of love triangles, so that was a major turn-off.

For those who are familiar with Cassandra Clare’s earlier net-published works, there are no surprises here. Draco Jace, shadowhunter and bad boy, is sexy and morally conflicted. Ron Xander Simon is a wonderfully witty and under-appreciated side character. And Clary – Clary is a Mary Sue. Cassandra Clare, while she can create interesting and compelling characters, has a very hard time here realistically depicting the details of her protagonist’s life, from her artistic talents (overly and obnoxiously romanticized) to her curly hair (never frizzy!) As a curly haired artist, there were points during the novel that I was actually offended by the level of, how shall I put it? Artistic license.

Booktalk Hook: If you’ve ever wanted Buffy the Vampire Slayer to have babies with His Dark Materials, you’re in luck: you can find the best of both fictional worlds in Cassandra Clare’s dark and sexy Mortal Instruments series.

And if you liked the book: You might want to try Winter Sonata, which has a lot of the same angsty, romantic flavor.

And remember kids, double check your family tree before you go after the hot new boy on the block.

Son of the Mob September 25, 2007

Korman, Gordon (2002). Son of the Mob. NY: Hyperion. 262 pages.

Vince Luca’s had a pretty sweet life – his dad’s a mob boss, so he’s enjoyed all the perks of life on the wrong side of the law. There’s only one problem: his dad is a MOB BOSS. And Vince wants nothing to do with the mob – especially when he falls in love with the daughter of the FBI agent who’s after his dad.

There’s a few reasons I read this book, and the number one reason is the author: Gordon Korman. A man who, without fail, writes totally hilarious books about people who do really stupid things. And makes it all somehow believable. And he certainly didn’t cut back on the humor in this book – Vince is a wry, sarcastic, funny narrator. He’s definitely a likable character, which is a good thing, because he stumbles pretty naively through most of the action (with a little help from his nice-guy mob mentor, Ray Vecchio Francione) and it would have gotten a little annoying otherwise. There are a few times where the story drifts into more dark, introspective themes of morality and law, which – if natural – does seem slightly out of place with the rest of the tone of the text.

ETA: There’s also a sequel, Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle, that I’ve only just heard of, and haven’t had a chance to read yet.  Expect more here once I’ve gotten my hands on it.

Booktalk Hook: Everyone’s probably wished at some point that their parents would just stay out of their life. But most people’s parents don’t have anything on Vince Luca’s mob boss father – who can’t even keep his, er, associates out of the trunk of Vince’s car, let alone out of his life.

And if you liked the book: You might also like My Boss My Hero, a Japanese series also about a guy in high school who has a mob boss for a father. The difference is that Makio is 27, not 17. Both the book and the series play the protagonists’ situation for comic effect, and both are chock full of wacky hijinks.