Stolen, by Lucy Christopher: Wherein Australia steals my vote AGAIN

Stolen
by Lucy Christopher
Chicken House (Scholastic, Inc.): New York, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0545-17093-2

I’m just going to go out on a limb and say it:  I still have no idea how Shipbreaker won a top literary prize when it was up against so, so, so many better written books.  Like, say, Stolen, by Lucy Christopher.  Holy, creepy, moly, is this a stunningly well written book, gorgeous in descriptive and evocative language, often striking chords and depths of frightened/confused/sympathetic emotions with a reader in ways that frankly, many YA books strive to reach, but just can’t quite get to.  So again.  I fail to see how a great story with excellent writing is just an honor book (like so many others this year), while a great story with just good writing (in my opinion) was the winner.  AHEM.  End of rant. 

Sixteen-year-old London teenager Gemma is on her way to Vietnam with her parents for vacation when she is drugged and abducted by a handsome, blue-eyed, oddly familiar stranger during her layover in the Bancock airport.  When she finally wakes up, she finds herself in desolate house filled with years of provisions, in the middle of a foreign desert.  Ty, her captor, is the only other human for hundreds of miles.  Naturally, Gemma is terrified, confused, and wants to escape.  Naturally, Ty doesn’t want her to, but curiously also doesn’t want to harm her in any way.  Over time, Gemma discovers that he has been planning this for years, following her and her family, learning everything he could about her as he planned and built his isolated desert compound.  However, as Gemma and her readers come to know Ty, his kindness, and his story, surprising and confusing feelings of sympathy emerge.  In this terrifyingly gripping story of survival, lines are blurred between hate, compassion, empathy, captivity, and freedom. Striking and gorgeous descriptions of the Australian Outback are juxtaposed with a rich, realistic, and evocative spectrum of emotions.  This boldly written first person narrative is recommended for teens grade 8 and up, and may even hold special interest for adults who want a read-alike of books like Emma Donoghue’s Room. 

Sidebar: It is my understanding that Lucy Christopher is not-quite-Australian, but lived there for a while.  I’m counting her and this book in my funloveparade of awesome lit coming straight of that giant landmass down under.  Seriously.  Keep it up, Australia!  If you couldn’t tell, I thought this book was fantastic.  Terrifying and confusing.  But dayum the man.  Never did I ever think it would happen,  but Lucy Christopher takes us right along with Gemma; I too developed a wicked case of Stockholm Syndrome before I saw it coming.  Sure, you could argue the camel capture and taming is kind of an obvious metaphor.  But in a book that creates such a frighteningly real yet foreign world, it’s not outside of the scope, and moreover, it works.  This story has great adult appeal, and yet also works so well in the YA length and format; we really just need the high/lowlights that Gemma gives about her experience.  I could say more but won’t waste your time; do yourself a favor and just read it.  You won’t regret it!

Black Hole Sun, by David Macinnis Gill: Baby Browncoats?

Black Hole Sun
by David Macinnis Gill
Greenwillow Books: New York, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-167304-7
 

     In a distant future, humans are living on and occupying a Mars that is a perfect mashup of Star Wars and Firefly (with shades of and shout outs to other sci-fi that I’m sure I’m just not picking up on).  Our young hero, Durango (sidebar: how great is this name? I’m not sure if it’s better for a child or dog. OR BOTH.  Ima go George Foreman my future pets and children!), is a mercenary soldier in a world where soldiers pledge themselves for life to one individual, and where you’re ostracized if you’re a lone wolf.  Durango also has a bit of a secret; he had artificial intelligence implanted in his brain by his currently deposed and imprisoned father, the former governor of Mars.   Durango, and his second in command, Vienne, who he thinks is totally a babe btw, often work rescue missions in kidnapping cases, often hiring a band of unruly and hilarious misfits to flesh out their team.  Their latest underpaying offer is for protection services for a remote mining post, under attack by the Draeu (I have no idea how to pronounce this, and or how to access the correct letters for it, deal), who kind of like the Reapers of Firefly, eat people (thank gawd they don’t rape them to death, thanks for those nightmares Firefly writers), which is generally pretty gross in my opinion.  But I digress!  The Draeu want something aside from manflesh, and the miners are hesitant to disclose what it is.  What is it, and why is it wanted?  What will happen when a hot miner-girl develops a not-so-secret crush on Durango (hint: girl drama!)?  Will they all survive the Draeu? How cool are the soldiers uniforms (hint: pretty cool)? What makes the Draeu so greepy (gross+creepy) and hard to get rid of? Is this underpaying mission even worth it?   This action packed, sci-fi adventure is filled with explosions, humor, snarky banter, fun, and drama.  Black Hole Sun is strongly recommended for Browncoats of all ages, and other people of all ages (12 and up) who like to read fun, not-too-heady sci-fi.  Not sure if there will be a sequel, but it was fun and quick enough to read that I’d for sure pick up another!

Everyone FREAK OUT for real now: Hunger Games sneak peek part 2

Heeeeeeeereeeee's Katniss!  See?  I didn't even need to watch the VMAs.  In fact,  I didn't even need to do anything but look further than my email inbox this morning to find that a certain friend in North Carolina (ahem, where the movie is being filmed) had kindly already done the leg work (or finger work, this is the internets after all) and sent me the link. 

My deep thoughts on this 15 second tease:

•  Jennifer Lawrence has some crazy brown smoky eyes going on.   At first I thought she had pinkeye and was all "why would they make her do this sick?", but then I realized that some make up artist had had at her for this big movie promotional moment, and that it was brown, not pink, ala pinkeye.  And that I possibly need another cup of coffee.  It looks nothing like her.  Is that what fancy Katniss looks like? 
• Are they dressing the tributes in trash bags?
• Will those hunting/fashion boots become fashion or are they ALREADY fashion?
• Katniss hair: Prom 2012?
• As a Peetafangirl, I'm slightly disappointed that it seems all we hear is from Gale, and that we can barely hear it.  Whateverrrr. I'm probably totally wrong.  Whoever it is is right though; we do just want a good show.  Bake me some rolls baker boy!
• May the odds be ever in my favor indeed on March 23, 2012!

Everyone FREAK OUT: Hunger Games sneak peak

Okay, count on me to be the insolent teenager and point out that the following is a wee tad ironic, as it contains a sneak peek (barely, but isn't that what a peek is?) as a promo for another sneak peek.  

Of the Hunger Games movie.  FREAK OUT YOU GUYS!  

It's coming to your TV screen, courtesy of MTV, courtesy of their MTV VMAs, which I probably haven't watched since 2002!  And probably can't watch, thanks to my good friend Hurricane Irene, coming to town this Sunday.  That's why I keep you around, Internets. 

The Name of the Star, by Maureen Johnson

The Name of the Star
by Maureen Johnson
New York: Putnam Juvenile
ARC reviewed; publishing date 9/29/11 

Rory Deveaux is spending her senior year at a posh London boarding school in this supernatural series from Maureen Johnson.  If adapting to a new boarding school and country isn’t hard enough, someone is precisely reinacting all the Jack the Ripper murders, down to the date, time, and method, and modern-day London is hooked.  Sneaking out with her roommate to another dorm, Rory becomes the only witness to have seen and talked to the prime suspect, despite not having been alone at the time.  With a romantic prospect and new friendships on the horizon, the last thing Rory needs is to be seeing people that aren’t there.  Is Rory going crazy?  Who is the modern-day Ripper? And more importantly, is he coming for her next?   Fans of Johnson will not be disappointed.  While there is some drinking in this book (legal in the UK), it is filled with great historical details about the original crimes.  More importantly, it serves as a thoughtful look at modern media sensationalism.  This is an imaginative and fun thriller, best suited for high school aged teens. 

Book Talk Hook:  Read the original facts of the case “On the X of September, 18XX, so and so was brutally murdered etc. On the X of October,  ditto, etc. etc.  The most famous unsolved crime ever was committed and the legend of Jack the Ripper was born.  On the X of September, 2011 , so and so was brutally murdered etc.”  Then give a tiny summary of the book.  The facts of the case really do the selling for you.  Methinks you won’t have to do too much convincing, especially for Johnson fans.