Book review - Project F

 

Title: Project F

Author: Jeanne DuPrau

Genre: dystopia

Similar books: Please Return to the Lands of Luxury by Jon Tilton

                      Falling Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Rating:

 

not DuPrau's best

Summary (provided by publisher): WELCOME TO THE FUTURE.
There are no cars, planes, television, or smart phones. Climate change wreaked havoc on Earth hundreds of years ago, and now people live a simpler life.
Then thirteen-year-old Keith uncovers a secret. It’s a mysterious mission known only as Project F. It’s advanced, it’s scientific, and it’s going to change the world. It’s exactly the kind of adventure Keith has always longed to be a part of.
And what is adventure without a little danger, right? But how much danger is Keith willing to risk? For himself? For his family? For his community? For the entire world…?

My opinion: There is no denying that this book asks important questions. It wants the reader to look at sacrifice for the greater good. The problem is, it's too blunt about it. It doesn't lead the reader to conclusions; it shoves them in our face. It tells us what we should think about the world of the book. We aren't experiencing the plot with Keith. We're viewing it through a lens, through emotional distance. While middle grade readers may need some guidance in interpreting what they read this doesn't mean that the messaging needs to be a blunt instrument. With characters that are generally unrealistic and one-dimensional, there isn't much driving the reader forward.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Hatchet Girls

 

Title: Hatchet Girls

Author: Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Genre: horror

Similar books: It Will End Like This by Kyra Leigh

                     The Violent Season by Sara Walters

Rating:

 

not quite what I wanted

Summary (provided by publisher): When Mariella Morse accuses her boyfriend, Vik Gomez, of murdering her wealthy parents with an axe, the town is quick to believe her. It doesn’t help that Vik is caught standing over her parents’ bodies with blood on his hands, unable to remember anything about the night in question.
But Vik’s sister, Tessa, knows that Vik would never be capable of such a gruesome crime. Haunted by the mistakes she made that led her family to move to Fall River, MA in the first place, she sets out to prove her brother’s innocence.
Tessa’s search for answers will lead her into a sprawling, notoriously cursed forest, where she and Mariella must face a darkness that has lurked within their town since before the days of Lizzie Borden—the original axe murderess of Fall River.

My opinion: The Lizzie Borden case has been subject of plenty of speculation, so it's ripe for a re-imagining. Rodriguez certainly takes an interesting tactic, exploring motivations and influences, asking us to consider guilt and responsibility. The book makes overtures towards questions of racism and classism but these concepts are not explored in any true depth. Vik, as we meet him, is too sympathetic. Mariella is too manipulative. There's no nuance to the plot that has us wondering.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Listen with me

 

The Changing Man by Tomi Oyemakinde

Let's be frank - this book suffers a bit from a bland title. But with a description that promises missing teen, drastic personality shifts, and the stratified world of elite prep schools and a solidly creepy cover image I'm ready to give it a shot. Let's listen together and hopefully have a couple of scares for spooky season.

Pick 6: horror

October means it's time for my annual list of horror stories. Who doesn't love a good scare in October? It's almost required to prepare for Halloween by scaring yourself silly. Here are six horror books published in the last six months.

Six new horror stories:

1. Eerie Tales from the School of Screams by Graham Annable
2. Who Haunts You by Mark Wheaton
   
3. Holly Horror by Michelle Jabes Corpora
4. Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt
5. The Cursed Moon by Angela Cervantes
6. Scare Waves by Trevor Henderson

Graphic novel spotlight - Enlighten Me

 

Enlighten Me by Minh Le

 If you've ever wanted to read some Buddhist stories, this might be the book for you. It's framed as a kid dealing with racism and anger issues then presented with meditation and reflection. The stories take these concepts from a frustration and difficult endeavor to something is attainable and worth attempting. There isn't much plot but that isn't really the point. It's a way of making philosophy accessible to a young audience and helps a kids see the way of peace.

 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - The Cursed Moon

 

Title: The Cursed Moon

Author: Angela Cervantes

Genre: horror

Similar books: The Ojja-Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio

                     The Clackity by Lora Senf

Rating:

 

age appropriate scares

Summary (provided by publisher): One two, the Caretaker’s coming for you. Three-four, you’ll breathe no more. Five-six, you’ll float like sticks. Seven, eight, you’ll meet your fate.
Rafael Fuentes isn’t easily scared. He loves writing ghost stories, reading scary books, and entertaining his friends with terrifying tales he creates on the spot. Rafa has come up against enough real-life scary situations that fictional hauntings seem like no big deal. Rafa’s incarcerated mom is being released from jail soon, and will be coming to live with him, his sister, and their grandparents. For the first time in a while, Rafa feels a pit of fear growing in his stomach.
To take his mind off his mom’s return, Rafa spends an evening crafting the scariest ghost story he’s ever told. As an eerie blood moon hangs in the sky, Rafa tells a group of friends about The Caretaker. The Caretaker is an evil ghost who lures unsuspecting kids into the neighborhood pond. . . and they don’t ever come out. Rafa is really proud of his latest creation, until strange things start to happen around him. With a sinking feeling, Rafa realizes the Caretaker is real. Rafa has brought the ghost to life—and only he can stop him.

My opinion: Cervantes does a clever thing here by routing the haunting through Rafa's story-telling. Since we learn what happened to the affected kids through the story he tells, we don't experience it in the moment. This creates emotional distance that keeps the narrative from becoming too scary for a young reader. With the addition of Rafa's personal, familial conflict the plot is well fleshed out and the characters are believable. For an adult reader this won't be an edge-of-your-seat read but it should go over well with horror enthusiast youngsters.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Creepy audio

 I am not easily frightened by books. I will read a horror story any time without difficulty. So when I started listening to audio books I did not change my habits in any way. Typically, this has not been a problem. I can recall two cases where I found an audio book genuinely creepy and in both cases it's more about production than content.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

The Diviners is a wonderfully atmospheric, dark story. It deals with ancient evils and struggles for power. Even just read traditionally it's a spooky story. But the audio-book is downright unsettling. There are tones, discordance, sound effects that had me uneasy. Since the tone of the narrative is already unsettling the careful use of background sound can make for a nervous listen, especially if you're awake in the wee hours in a dark house like I was. This is one best heard in the bright light of day.

Who Haunts You by Mark Wheaton

Unlike Bray's book, this audio has rather sparse production. It's just Annalee Scott reading in a rather even tone. It is almost entirely calm. Until the whispers. I mostly listen to audio-books when I run so I'm typically wearing earbuds. Having that raspy whisper "You found me" hissing in my ear was creepily intimate. The first time it happened I was a bit unsettled. The second time the sun was setting and I was in shadow and it had me flinching at every movement. I had to turn the book off and finish my run in silence. That is production used to remarkable effect, for something so simple to have such a strong impact.

So remember, if you want a truly frightening audio experience it takes more than just a scary story. It needs to use the audio medium to it's best effect.