Massey Title page |
Shooter by Caroline Pignat Shooter is a powerful, character-driven novel about a school in lock-down mode when a shooter is spotted in their midst. The story is told through the voices of five teens who are stuck in a boy's bathroom together - introverted rule-follower Alice, her autistic brother Noah, popular Student Council President Isabelle, troubled bully Hogan and the socially awkward Xander. Each of these voices is unique and has it's own life story to tell, and one of these characters knows more about the shooter than they are letting on.
Shooter is a really good book, but may not be what you you expect it to be. This novel is not really a book about being in peril, nor is filled with action (although these themes are present more as the novel progresses). Caroline Pignat has written a modern day Breakfast Club * in which we learn that everyone has a story and this forms who we are and the choices we make. Through the voices of the main characters, we are given themes of parental pressure, self-identity, guilt, responsibility, depression and mental helath issues. That's a lot of deep stuff! And yet, somehow, the author has crafted a fast, enjoyable read. The only complaint I have is the "perfect timing" behind bringing these particular characters all into the boy's bathroom for the lockdown. Of course, if these high school stereotypes weren't together for the story, it wouldn't really be a story (plot manipulation to the point of not quite being believable). On the whole, though, I highly recommend you check this book out. The characters are well developed and sympathetic. The subject matter - a school shooting - is contemporary and thought provoking. The writing style is simple and flows well. Enjoy! *http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088847/
0 Comments
Every You, Every Me by David Levithan This is a postmodern novel. Experimental. A little bit cool and also a little bit pretentious.
Evan is a troubled high school student who doesn't fit in . He is grieving for his friend/love (Ariel) who is no longer with him, and he's feeling responsible for whatever it is that happened to her. Evan has a guilty conscience, no friends and a broken heart. Then photographs start to show up. Some of the photos are places he went with Ariel, some are photos of him, of her, and eventually a photo of the place he last saw her. Evan's not sure what to think. Are these photographs Ariel's way of reminding him what he did to her? Or has someone found out what he did and is now wanting to punish him? Either way, he can't rest until he finds out who is stalking him. There is lots going on in this book. Much of the text has stikethrough font (things Evan thinks but doesn't say out loud). There are blurry black and white photos, strange chapter headings (chapter 11-A through 11-O, for example) and a mystery waiting to be solved. Very intriguing... Unfortunately, the mystery is not really difficult to solve and Evan spends far too much time wallowing in his sadness - it gets to be a little bit too much angst. Every You, Every Me is not a difficult read. It's quick and dark and intriguing. It tries a little too hard to manipulate the reader and to be different than other YA novels. It is a good book to fill an afternoon or two, but it's not the great book I hoped it would be. Wow! If you are a fan of the Selection series of books, this might be for you! Just thought I'd share... Found this on Amazon.ca.
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry WOW!
I thought I should read and review something something different this time 'round. I'm SO GLAD I did! This is an excellent post-apocalyptic zombie novel and I highly recommend it if you don't have a weak stomach when it comes to zombies and blood and guts. Benny Imura is 15 years old and lives with his older half-brother Tom. His parents died during First Night (the beginning fo the zombie apocalypse) when he was a toddler. During the chaos and confusion that night, Tom ran away with Benny in his arms as their folks were attacked by zombies. Now, as childhood comes to an end, all citizens of Mountainside must get a job or lose half their food rations when they turn 15. Benny is hesitant to join his brother in the family business of Zombie Killing/Bounty Hunting, but it turns out nothing else holds interest for him. He has always thought of Tom as a coward for not helping their parents, but soon discovers otherwise. When Tom takes Benny into the wasteland beyond the town fence (known as the Rot and Ruin), Benny sees there are enemies to society far worse than any zombie. His life will never be the same. So, confession time. I find that zombies are a very entertaining genre. My favorite tv show is The Walking Dead and I've seen the original Dawn of the Dead 53 times. It's kind of my thing. But I've never read a YA zombie novel and I guess when I picked this book up, my expectations were fairly low. I was so wrong! There is a lot going on in Rot & Ruin - this book really has it all. Heroes, villains, love, grief, blood and guts, action, friendship, birth, death... It's very entertaining and filled with well developed characters and their stories. Take a chance. Give it a try. After all, life's too short to spend it reading something you don't like. And maybe this novel will help you know what to do when the zombie apocalypse comes to town. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is coming to Netflix in the new year! Click the above link to watch the official trailer on YouTube.
Of course, we do have the books in the Vincent Massey library if you need a refresher! Salt To The Sea by Ruta Sepetys has been voted Best YA Fiction of 2016 on Goodreads - and I've just ordered it for Vincent Massey's library. You can see the description of the book as well as all the other novels nominated in this category here:
https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-young-adult-fiction-books-2016?ref_=pe_2701710_217206500 Time to choose a good book to read over the holidays! |
AuthorThis book lover's blog is brought to you by the Learning Commons at Vincent Massey School, Calgary. Specifically, Ms. Gammon and various student book reviewers. We want to share our favorite titles with you! Archives
May 2017
Categories
All
|