Sunday, August 5, 2012

YRCA Nominee #8: Winter Shadows

Annotation:

Tells the joined stories of Cass, whose father remarried a woman with a nasty, ill-tempered daughter; and Beatrice, who more than a century earlier explores her own problems through a journal that connects both girls.

YRCA Nominee #7 : Bruiser

Annotation:

Inexplicable events start to occur when sixteen-year-old twins Tennyson and Brontë befriend a troubled and misunderstood outcast, aptly nicknamed Bruiser, and his little brother, Cody.

My thoughts:
Told from four very different points of view, Bruiser is a story about a  troubled, withdrawn kid with an amazing gift (or curse, depending on how you look at it).  When Brontë starts dating Brewster (nicknamed Bruiser by others), Tennyson sets out to prove how terrible he really is but instead discovers Brewster's closely guarded secret. As the twins start to spend more time and become close friends with Brewster, his gift and it's "benefits" becomes more apparent to them and the situation gets a lot more complicated.  I think Shusterman has written an incredible and very thought-provoking story about the theory that happiness is the contrast to sorrow. And that you can't know one without the other. What's a life devoid of pain? Is it full of pure happiness? And what would you sacrifice to have it?

 

YRCA Nominee #6: Crazy

Annotation:

Fifteen-year-old loner Jason struggles to hide father's declining mental condition after his mother's death, but when his father disappears he must confide in the other members of a therapy group he has been forced to join at school.

YRCA Nominee #5: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Annotation:

When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend, who produces a play revealing his relationship with them both.

YRCA Nominee #4: The Replacement

Annotation:

Sixteen-year-old Mackie Doyle knows that he replaced a human child when he was just an infant, and when a friend's sister disappears he goes against his family's and town's deliberate denial of the problem to confront the beings that dwell under the town, tampering with human lives.
My Thoughts:
The cover of this book is what made me pick it up last year.  The story is very engaging and kept me flipping pages.  If you enjoy horror and action this is the book for you.  I could see this being at least a runner up, if not the winner of this years YRCA.  

YRCA Nominee #3: Matched

Annotation:

All her life, Cassia has never had a choice. The Society dictates everything: when and how to play, where to work, where to live, what to eat and wear, when to die, and most importantly to Cassia as she turns 17, who to marry. When she is Matched with her best friend Xander, things couldn't be more perfect. But why did her neighbor Ky's face show up on her match disk as well?
My thoughts:
I found the story concept really interested but never really felt that I was drawn into the story.  It is slow moving and if you crave action, this is not the story for you.  This book is popular in the library so I was sure that I missed the point and picked up the sequel Crossed...but won't be reading the third instalment Reached.  It was predictable and I felt like my emotions were being manipulated.  Yes, I felt for Ky but not enough to think that this will be the winner this year.

YRCA Nominee #2: Before I Fall

Annotation:  After she dies in a car crash, teenaged Samantha relives the day of her death over and over again until, on the seventh day, she finally discovers a way to save herself.  

My thoughts:

I struggled through the first half of this book.  Not because it wasn't well written but because I disliked actually disliked is too too weak-- I hated the main character Sam.  She was shallow, cruel and a follower.  But as she relives the day over and over she evolves into a character that I wanted to survive. The ending was perfect.  Will it be good enough to win the award?  I don't know...it really is a girl book so I don't think so.  What are your thoughts?

YRCA Nominees #1 Ship Breaker

Join me as I work my way through the 2013 YRCA Nominees.

Annotation:


In a futuristic world, teenaged Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.
My thoughts:   
Lots of action and if you enjoy dystopian fiction you will enjoy this novel set about 100 years into the future.  Our teen hero, Nailer, is a small scavenger with a vicious speed addicted father.  His friends eventually include other teens, swanks, and a halfman.  When a super-hurricane stops work and wrecks the flying yacht of a super-wealthy family, Nailer and his friend Pima start to salvage the best bits, until they find a dying girl whose wealth tempts them (and other, more dangerous people) to help her find her family. Nailer is a strong, conflicted boy who is not sure he has done the right thing, whether it's saving Nita, the rich girl, or fighting certain enemies to the death.  Although I really enjoyed the story, I don't believe that this will be the winner.  
What are your thoughts?