Title: I Hate You Fuller James
Author: Kelly Anne Blount
Genre: teen romance
Similar books: 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons
Pretty in Punxsutawney by Laurie Boyle Compton
Rating:
 |
| I have problems with it |
Summary (provided by publisher): I hate you, Fuller James.
I hate your floppy hair and your lopsided grin and those laughing blue eyes that always seem to be laughing at me.
I hate that you’re the most popular guy in school and I’m still the girl who sneezed and spit out her retainer on someone at a middle school dance. It’s just such a cliché.
I hate that I’m being forced to tutor you in English and keep it a secret from everyone. Because otherwise it might put our basketball team’s chances at winning State in jeopardy, and even though I hate you, I love basketball.
I hate that it seems like you’re keeping a secret from me…and that the more time we spend together, the less I feel like I’m on solid ground. Because I’m starting to realize there’s so much more to you than meets the eye. Underneath it all, you’re real.
But what I hate most is that I really don’t hate you at all.
My opinion: Simply based on the description, most of us will be able to guess the major plot points of this novel. Predictability is generally not a desired trait, though we're far more inclined to forgive it in a romance than in any other genre. Personally, I can for give a predictable plot if the characters are compelling. And I'll grant Blount this: she's creating believable characters. I simply didn't find them especially likeable. This is largely because of the lengths the book goes to in order to reassure us that Fuller is a "good guy." His bet manipulating Wren is only to cover up his genuine feelings and to protect the basketball team (a thin explanation at best). The bullying he started was actually him repeating what someone else started. And let's talk about that bullying. The nickname "Wren-tainer". I acknowledge that this is a reference to what had been a painful moment for Wren, but she frequently references it as "the worst name ever". But is it really? Or is it akin to continuing to point out that someone vomited in a classroom once. Additionally, the plot relies on a number of tropes: the manipulative athlete, motivation-less mean girl, the surprisingly pretty smart girl. It takes a standard plot through a standard path, never plumbing any new depths.
More information: I Hate You Fuller James releases March 2.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
I've never watched many 3D movies. As a lifetime glasses wearer, adding a pair of cardboard glasses is challenging. They never seem to line up correctly with my frames. When I decided I wanted to try drawing red-blue 3D images, I knew I needed a better way to do the glasses. So I made my own clip-on glasses out of some plastic packaging and sharpie.
I consider these 3D glasses Mark 1. Proof of concept though there's room for improvement.
Title: Junk Magic and Guitar Dreams
Author: T. James Logan
Genre: magical realism
Similar books: Mr. 60% by Clete Barrett Smith
The Bad Decisions Playlist by Michael Rubins
Rating:
 |
| decent, not great |
Summary (provided by publisher): A guitar, a box of junk, and a pile of trouble...
Fifteen-year-old Otter is in a dark place. When he loses his mom to cancer, Child Services wants to put him in foster care, or even a home for troubled youth.
Living on his own, he’s one bad decision away from the street. His band’s first gig is only two weeks away, but his crush on their new lead singer has him tied in knots.
Then he inherits a box of random junk from a dead grandfather he barely knew. Can his grandfather’s memories help Otter win the girl of his dreams, reconnect with his family, and keep him out of juvenile detention...maybe even become a rock star?
My opinion: I struggle somewhat with this book. I think it's well intentioned. It highlights the struggles of kids in poverty, of marginalized communities. We see how stress and grief break a person down, make them fail to use logic, makes them make bad choices. We see how families and friendships fall apart is stages, seldom all at once. How each choice, each moment, builds on the ones that came before. I also think that the major plot points are obvious, the resolutions over simplified. I understand wanting to show how a vulnerable teen, especially a young man caught up in grief and feeling lost, can be radicalized. This is a very real problem in our society and worth discussing. BUt this particular presentation struggles with some logic issues.
More information: Junk Magic and Guitar Dreams releases March 1.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Green Lantern Legacy by Minh Le
DC Comics is doing some great things these days in the realm of superhero comics for kids. Green Lantern Legacy both acknowledges the vast history of the Green Lantern and allows for a future of all new directions. It carefully balances heroism and kid concerns. Tai has school obligations. He has troubles with friends and the looming potential loss of his family's business. At the same time he's learning how to be a hero and faces off against a real villain. Many comics featuring kid heroes look only at friendship or minor villains. This book doesn't hold back on any front, making it reminiscent of various iterations of Spider-man. While it's largely introductory, setting up new readers with the idea of the Green Lantern Corp and threat of Sinestro, the potential is there to take this series to some very cool places.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
What's the Point of Math?
Finally, a book that answers the question that most kids ask. And it isn't cagey about it. Starting with basic counting and going all the way up to theoretical mathematics, the authors explore the purpose of math. We get the history of math - different systems of counting and measurement, the role of zero, that sort of thing. Then, starting with arithmetic we walk through the practical uses of math. What is geometry for? Why might we need to use variables in every day life? If I'd had this book in middle and high school I might have taken my math studies more seriously. This one is a must have for every collection - personal and professional.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Title: Subject A36
Author: Teri Polen
Genre: dystopia
Similar books: Taken by Edward Bloor
The Seclusion by Jacqui Castle
Rating:
 |
| rather disappointing |
Summary (provided by publisher): If genetic engineering could guarantee you and your family perfect health and unparalleled beauty, would you pay top dollar for it? Would you kill for it?
Residents of the Colony would. And do.
Only the Insurgents can stop them.
Seventeen-year-old Asher Solomon is a premier operative with the Insurgents. He and his team have rescued countless hostages, saving them from painful deaths in Colony labs as desirable genetic traits are stripped from their bodies.
He’s also suffered more losses than anyone should have to.
Then Asher gets intel that might give his people the upper hand. The Colony is searching for Subject A36. If the Insurgents determine the subject’s identity first, they might be able to turn the tide of the war.
Asher and his team embark on their riskiest mission ever, and the stakes have never been higher. But even if he survives the physical dangers, the devastating secrets he uncovers might destroy him.
My opinion: The overarching thrust of this plot is entirely predictable. This is not unheard of - there are only so many plots in the world, after all. Predictability is acceptable if the characters are complex or if there are interesting elements along the way. Polen is going for some interesting elements but it falls short. The science, in particular, doesn't make any sense. The premise works - the inherent dangers of genetic engineering as it intersects with the class divide. But there is only the thinnest explanation for the genetic harvesting. That motivation feels tacked on, a way to explain the revolution rather than focusing on the hunt for Subject A36. Asher is not a fully developed character either. Had Asher and the super-soldier plot been fully developed this would be a much stronger experience.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
A while back I bought some trousers on sale. They came with a blazer. It was a bit boxy and plain but comfortable when I put it on. I figured it was worth keeping if I was willing to do a little customization.
I cut some shapes out of fabric with some iron-on fusing.
Nothing punches up a blazer like elbow patches. Especially planet patches.
