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Headley, Justina Chen. 2008. Girl Overboard.

Girl Overboard stars a very unhappy girl, Syrah, who is frustrated with practically everything in her life: she's unhappy with how her knee is healing after a bad snowboarding accident; unhappy that there seems to be a mental/emotional block preventing her from moving on in her life after a disappointing first taste of love/lust; unhappy that her very best friend, Adrian "Age", has a girlfriend who won't allow him to see her; unhappy that her parents ignore her except for when they're bossing her around--how her mom is always onto her about her weight, how they both rarely take her seriously and how both want to keep her from ever snowboarding again; angry with her two half-siblings, Wayne and Grace, both much older than herself; disappointed that her only real friend in the house--her nanny if you will--Bao-mu is going to be leaving the family to go care for her own granddaughter; and super-super angry that her parents have told her that they're all moving to Hong Kong next year. Syrah has an oh-so-terrible life because her parents are oh-so-wealthy. But it has its advantages in a way too--when Syrah decides she wants to be a part of her family and use everything to get what she wants. And what Syrah ends up wanting more than anything is to help someone else--to save a life.

It's a coming of age novel heavy on the whine in the opening chapters. The first fifty pages didn't hook me. But I kept going, I kept reading and sure enough by the end I was enjoying it. While all the characters seemed a bit flat and stereotypical in the beginning, by the end, they were beginning (at least if not more) to become fully fleshed characters with heart and soul. Her developing relationship with her family--her mother, Betty; her half-sister, Grace; her mother's family whom she meets for the first time--her aunts and cousins, etc--add depth to this story. I liked how Syrah changed through the course of the book, how she came to be someone I could like, someone I could respect.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Forester, Victoria. 2008. The Girl Who Could Fly.

Piper decided to jump off of the roof. It wasn't a rash decision on her part.

The Girl Who Could Fly is an odd little book that I couldn't help enjoying. Piper McCloud, she flies. A girl who flies. When her flying catches attention, mysterious strangers show up on the family farm promising her family that they've got the perfect school for her. A school where her specialness will be appreciated. So away Piper goes. Leaving behind her family and her home. The school or institute (initials I.N.S.A.N.E) is different alright. And everyone Piper meets is unusual from the adults to her fellow classmates.

I hesitate to say anymore because I don't want to reveal too much. The plot twists are best enjoyed firsthand.

The Girl Who Could Fly is a quirkier Mysterious Benedict Society. Unique, quirky characters. Fast-paced plot. A good mix of fun.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Gaiman, Neil. 2008. The Graveyard Book. With illustrations by Dave McKean.

I really loved this one. The atmosphere, the pacing, the characters, everything is just right with this one. The Graveyard Book is the story of a young boy, Nobody Owens, whose parents (and sister) have been murdered. The young baby--toddler--wanders into the neighboring graveyard and happens to escape the killer. The residents of the graveyard take pity on him. They adopt him. Mr. and Mrs. Owens especially. (Along with Silas.) Give him the freedom of the grave yard. They raise him. They teach him. He is one of their own. And yet...and yet he's not quite of them. He's alive. Can the dead really and truly raise the boy right? Silas is his guardian. He is one of the few that can leave the graveyard. He walks amongst the living and the dead. Him being quite neither. They only know this. Someone is out to kill 'Bod' (their nickname for Nobody). And it is only if the boy remains there that he is safe. But how long will the boy be content with them, with only the dead for company, alone from others his own kind?

This is an adventure-filled story with great characters and amazing atmosphere. The book is slightly unusual in that it is episodic. The book spans a dozen years or so. We see Bod grow from a toddler to a young man--a teen boy of fifteen or sixteen. We see him learn to walk and talk and fade and haunt and dreamwalk. We see him learn to explore the world around him both in and out of the graveyard.

Definitely recommended.

First sentence: There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Hartnett, Sonya. 2008. The Ghost's Child. Releases October 14, 2008.

"An exquisite fable about love and loss by the author of the Michael L. Printz Honor Book Surrender."

It's important for readers to realize they're holding a fable in their hands. It will help explain some of the strangeness for one thing. If they're not trying to make it fit reality. Not that the book is unrealistic--it has its moments of course--but it's a blended reality meets fantasy. It has its own set of rules.

So fable about life, love, loss....it could go either way, right? Good? Bad? Too melodramatic? Just right? Well, of course, each reader will have to determine if this one works for them or not. But for me, I liked it. I liked it a lot. I liked the writing. I liked the story.

One damp silvery afternoon an old lady came home from walking her dog and found a boy sitting in her lounge room on the floral settee. The boy hadn't been invited, so the old lady was surprised to see him. It wasn't a large boy, and he looked annoyed and bored, as if he had been waiting for her for some time.

It's a quick book--just 192 pages. It's a sweet story, but a bittersweet one. Our narrator, Maddy (Matilda), has long known that you can't always get what you want in life. And she's an intelligent woman, a brave one, one not afraid to try, one not afraid to do. And as her story is revealed chapter by chapter, as she relives her best and worst times; as she tells her story to a young boy, it's hard not to get caught up in it. Maddy is quite the storyteller. Her narrative increases in power with each chapter.

Originally published in Australia (red cover), there is quite a change in covers...when it is published in other countries...which do you like better? And here is the UK cover (to the left). And the American cover is at the top of the post. Very different images, aren't they? I must say I like the UK version best of the three. I think it best captures the feel of the book.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Scott, Kieran. 2008. Geek Magnet.

Okay, so I was dizzy with power. Can you blame me? It was the first day of rehearsals for the spring musical, Grease, at Washington High and I, KJ Miller, was the stage manager. The woman in charge. The first junior ever to be granted this most prestigious position.

KJ Miller. How to describe KJ? Well, there's the obvious. She's a geek magnet. She draws some geeky undesirables close to her. Fred. Glenn. Andy. Perhaps because of all the buzzing geeks near her, KJ is not quite as popular as she'd like to be. She's not in the outer rings of the social strata, but she's far from being "in" with the in crowd of beautiful people. With great power comes great responsibility. KJ now has some power at least when it comes to the drama folks. And this new-found power has brought someone new to KJ's life: Tama, Tama Gold. And Tama has something KJ wants more than anything: power and sway over KJ's crush, Cameron. KJ loves Cameron. And Tama, well, Tama sees that as her "in." As the "star" of the show, Tama, wants--no, needs--KJ to be on her side.

Tama easily agrees to setting KJ and Cameron up. Knowing that by 'befriending' KJ, the power to rule the show, rule the production, would be within her reach. After all, boys can be distracting.

The first rule Tama sets for her new best friend is that KJ has to stop being nice to the geeks, to the nobodys. She had to start being mean, being firm, being direct. KJ needed to cut free and clean from those holding her back. Who would want to date her if all her friends were dorks and geeks?

There is one person, however, that KJ still listens to. Robbie. The male lead of the play. Robbie. A guy she sees as being so wonderfully himself. He didn't hang out with the cool people, the beautiful people. But that was his choice. And that choice makes all the difference to KJ. She sees him as anything but a geek. Robbie wants Tama. KJ agrees. This requires much plotting together. This cozy together time that is oh-so-predictable.

If Geek Magnet has a flaw it is that it is ultra-predictable. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm sure some folks will find it enjoyable and satisfying. To me, as an adult, I found KJ a bit too self-absorbed. KJ wasn't exactly shallow. Far from it in some areas. KJ's life isn't easy. She has an alcoholic father, a mother in denial, and a younger brother that is absent-though-present. (It's weird how many scenes this brother is in, yet he never made an impression.) While KJ's relationship hate-and-angst filled relationship with her father takes up some space, the rest of her family just fades into the backdrop.

The romance. Well. I thought it lacked a bit. I thought Robbie and KJ definitely had some chemistry. But, predictably so, they were almost the last ones to know it. And the resolution, the closing scenes where they're drawn together...well, they technically get the job done, but I was hoping for a bit more fireworks.

Where Geek Magnets might pick up some fans is in the drama department. For readers who have a love for drama, for theatre, for musicals, for Grease in particular...I think this one might work better. It does spend a good majority of time behind-the-scenes pulling together a musical production. Actors. Directors. Props. Costumes. Dress rehearsals.

I think other readers would probably like this one better than I did.

Read the first chapter here.
Other reviews: Flamingnet, RomanticTimes, ReaderViews,

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Mebus, Scott. 2008. Gods of Manhattan.

The 'gods' in question in Scott Mebus' Gods of Manhattan are not Greek gods. Just so you know. They are men and women immortalized by legend and fame and success. The mayor of the gods, of Manhatta a world that is invisible to most mortals, is Alexander Hamilton. (All of the gods started out as mortals, but their fame, their success, their ingenuity made them be reborn as immortal gods in this spirit world residing side by side with modern Manhattan.) It's a rather fun premise, for the most part. The gods, these immortal gods, are in danger--real danger. Though immortal, a way has been discovered to kill them, murder them. A special knife that threatens to end everything...unless they get some help from a rather extraordinary mortal, a young boy, Rory.

Rory is your typical hero. He doesn't want to be a hero. He doesn't want the responsibility of saving the world. But with the proper motivation, he may prove to be hero material after all. Like quite a few heroes, he has a younger sister. And this sister plays quite an important role. This butt-kicking heroine loves to be strong and brave. The idea thrills her. She carries around a sword called 'Butt-kicker' for example. Definitely spunky.

I won't get into the particulars now. But fans of Percy Jackson and Fablehaven might enjoy this one. It has history and fantasy colliding...and the result is mostly fun and entertaining. It is the first in a series, and I would imagine that the second one will be even better.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Yoo, Paula. 2008. Good Enough.

Paula Yoo's debut novel Good Enough is more than good enough by my standards. Patti Yoon, our narrator, is always being told--directly or indirectly--that she's not good enough. Why be happy with being assistant concertmaster? If you're not in first place, you're a loser, right? Why be happy with anything other than the perfect 2400 for SAT's, right? 2010? Not good enough. Pressured to focus on the Ivy League colleges, Patti Yoon spends her life always always working towards her parents goals. That is until she meets "Cute Trumpet Guy" Ben Wheeler who shows her that there are other important things in life--friendship, fun, doing what you want to do, etc. Now, Patti is torn between striving to be THE best and trying to do her best.

The novel is about life and love (in this case unrequited) and friendship. It's a novel about being. It's a novel about being torn, not knowing exactly what you want. Patti's parents want her to go to HarvardYalePrinceton. It doesn't matter which school--as long as it's Ivy League. They don't necessarily care what profession she pursues either--so long as its practical. Music? Impractical! But Patti loves playing her violin, and quite a few people have told her she's gifted, talented. That she should be focusing on music. Her parents see her violin, her talent, as a hook to her getting into college. What does Patti want? That is the question at the heart of this book.

The novel focuses on a Korean-American family. (And on their Korean church, especially the youth group.) Patti and her family definitely experience some prejudice and discrimination. Patti just can't understand why though she suspects its the fact that she's the only Asian-American at her high school. The "mean" people, the bullies, will name call all the geeks, (Patti is among 'the geeks') but she's singled out by her race.

Oh my God. I'm not Japanese! Why is he even calling me a Jap? What does my ethnicity have to do with any of this? Why does Susan get to be called Queen of the Hobbits or dork or geek but I always get called Jap or Chink or gook? What does being Asian have to do with me being a nerd/geek/dork/physically uncoordinated loser? Why can't he just call me a geek, too? It would still hurt, but I'd take geek over gook any day. Because we all know geeks can change--just look at all those Hollywood romantic comedies where the girl geek takes off her glasses, unpins her ponytail, and turns into a princess. But I can't stop being Korean. I can't change my skin color. Even though I know he's wrong, Eric still makes me feel embarrassed for being Korean sometimes. (80)

After weeks of subsisting on energy drinks and rice cakes, my body's been craving fresh fruit or vegetables, maybe even a tomato, which I hate, but that's how strong the craving's been.

I lucked out tonight, pulling into a fast food joint that I didn't know had salads. Pre-made, but still, Gorgonzola, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and vinaigrette--what else do you need? Maybe one of those corn bread rolls. I love corn bread.

Leaning toward the cashier, I asked, "How much--"

"The corn bread comes with the salad," he said.

My jaw dropped. This guy was a mind reader. "How did you know I was going to ask that?"

He laughed. "You kept looking at the pan!"

Nonverbal cue! Body language!

Let me rewrite the last part of the scene:

I lucked out tonight, pulling into a fast food joint that I didn't know had salads. Pre-made, but still, Gorgonzola, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and vinaigrette--what else do you need? Maybe one of those corn bread rolls. I love cornbread.

I tilted my head, searching the pan for the biggest roll. Then a different server moved in and swiped the last few. Oh man! The pan was empty.

It's way to early to run out, I thought. They have to make more. I looked up and scanned the menu to see how much a roll cost. Corn bread . . . corn bread . . . corn bread--couldn't find it.

Leaning toward the cashier, I asked, "How much--"

"The corn bread comes with the salad," he said.

My jaw dropped. This guy was a mind reader. "How did you know I was going to ask that?"

He laughed. "You kept looking at the pan!"

Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve (in this case, my stomach)! This fast food worker reminded me once again of the power of nonverbal cues. It's amazing how much we reveal without uttering a word. We can lend this sort of impact to our characters, make them real actors, not just talking heads.

In any case, I always give myself away. I blush easily and startle with a big shake and a Whoop! Don't even ask me to play poker. I know better.