Daughter of Xanadu

Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang     352 pages

From Goodreads:

Athletic and strong willed, Princess Emmajin's determined to do what no woman has done before: become a warrior in the army of her grandfather, the Great Khan Khubilai. In the Mongol world the only way to achieve respect is to show bravery and win glory on the battlefield. The last thing she wants is the distraction of the foreigner Marco Polo, who challenges her beliefs in the gardens of Xanadu. Marco has no skills in the "manly arts" of the Mongols: horse racing, archery, and wrestling. Still, he charms the Khan with his wit and story-telling. Emmajin sees a different Marco as they travel across 13th-century China, hunting 'dragons' and fighting elephant-back warriors. Now she faces a different battle as she struggles with her attraction towards Marco and her incredible goal of winning fame as a soldier.

Review:

I was very intrigued by this story when I first came across it. I have not really read anything about the Mongolian Empire, nor do I remember much about it from history classes. I was interested to see how the author would make this early empire come to life, especially as its told from a young woman's perspective.

And not just any young woman, but a princess and granddaughter of Khubilai Khan who wants to be a soldier in his army. Emmajin was a fascinating character, full of courage and strength. Even in her moments of fear and "weakness" she still showed a strong sense of self and a desire to be better, to be open minded, to learn. I loved watching her grow over the course of the novel, from a woman fighting for her right to her own future, a position in the army (a place no woman had been allowed before), and a strong desire to prove herself to someone who values peace, the cooperation with peoples of other nations, and a desire to end wars. Not only is Emmajin an excellent example of a strong female protagonist, she is also a really interesting person and seeing the world through her eyes was very enjoyable.


Overall, this was a good historical fiction story. It had twists and turns and a really well written character arc. If you're into historical fiction, or if you really dig character development, this is a good one to pick up.

Five Feet Apart

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott     288 pages

"Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.

The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?"

This was such a beautiful love story, told from the perspective of two teenagers with Cystic Fibrosis. Will and Stella couldn't be more different in their outlook on life, him wanting to stop treatment and life life to the fullest while he still can, she trying to hold everything together to get better so she won't hurt the people she loves. But when they meet, slowly they change each other for the better and they find love where they didn't expect it.

I found both Stella and Will to be well rounded characters and I liked them both. They both seemed believable and earnest in their feelings and the why of their feelings was explained well. I also felt that the relationships with side characters was strong, mostly between Stella and Poe. There was a feeling of real time spent together, their routines and inside jokes helped show just how much the knew and loved each other. Not much time was spent with other friend characters, like Stella's school friends or Will's friends, but the story was not long, so there wasn't much time to include these.

I think the parents were believable as well, though I do think it was a bit too good to be true for Stella's parents to <spoiler> have gotten back together so easily and quickly after Stella's long transplant</spoiler>. I do like that the parents were there and involved, rather than just being props to make the story move along.

I kept wondering how the story would end, since the prospect of CF being terminal suggests that one or both characters could die at any time. I am glad that the author didn't create a magical/unbelievable recovery for Will or made it so that both characters actually could be together in the way they wanted, as this would have taken away from the reality that this book is trying to convey. The ending is bittersweet, but also ambiguous in a hopeful way. Stella's and Will's stories are not quite over and you, the reader, are left to imagine what you think might happen to them.

Lastly, I very much enjoyed the author's decision to provide a very real portrayal of the lives of people with CF. I think many stories don't handle illnesses well, or attempt to use illness as a quirk to create a compelling or unique romance and end up using the illness as a tool or don't present it in an accurate way, thus showing that the inclusion of illness in the story is just to make it novel or provide a tragic reason that the two leads cant be together - I’m looking at you, Everything, Everything! From the way this book was written, really lovingly, I could tell that the author wanted to provide a positive story for those who have CF, that accurately represented their lives, and that would make them seen by the rest of the world. At no point in the book did I feel like CF was just a story tool or was used to add heightened drama. It was very real, eye opening, and moving.

I would highly recommend this story and I am very glad I read it. Anyone who loves teen romance stories or who want to read a book with compelling, well written characters should read this book.

What's a Girl Gotta Do?

What's a Girl Gotta Do? by Holly Bourne     432 pages

HOW TO START A FEMINIST REVOLUTION:

1. Call out anything that is unfair on one gender

2. Don't call out the same thing twice (so you can sleep and breathe)

3. Always try to keep it funny

4. Don't let anything slide. Even when you start to break...

Lottie's determined to change the world with her #Vagilante vlog. Shame the trolls have other ideas...

This was probably my least favorite Spinster book, despite it being one of the most important books because of how directly it addresses sexism and what it means to be a feminist. I only disliked it because the level of angst and emotions was so high it was hard to get through. It’s never enjoyable reading about people going through a really rough patch in their lives, and what Lottie endures is quite rough. It made for difficult reading – as in, I would need to take breaks every once in a while, just to space out the emotional turmoil.

Overall, I will say that this book touches on important topics and I would highly recommend it to young, budding feminists. This book reads like an intro into activism and displays numerous ways that teens can get into addressing sexism or starting activist projects to address issues they are concerned with. I also like that Bourne does address the fact that this book doesn’t cover all forms of sexism. The blanket of sexism is wide and many books or projects that attempt to promote feminist ideals often get shot down, even by other feminists, if they aren’t intersectional enough or don’t attempt to cover all forms of sexism, even going so far as to play the “who has it worst,” game. Any attempts to address feminism, in my book, are important, and Bourne makes sure state that this book is an attempt to light a spark, which I think it does.

Emergency Contact

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi     391 pages

For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she somehow managed to land a boyfriend, he doesn't actually know anything about her. When Penny heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it's seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can't wait to leave behind.

Sam's stuck. Literally, figuratively, emotionally, financially. He works at a café and sleeps there too, on a mattress on the floor of an empty storage room upstairs. He knows that this is the god-awful chapter of his life that will serve as inspiration for when he's a famous movie director but right this second the seventeen bucks in his checking account and his dying laptop are really testing him.

When Sam and Penny cross paths it's less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch--via text--and soon become digitally inseparable, sharing their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other.

This was a really fun read! I enjoyed the premise of the two main characters forming a relationship over the concept of being eachother's "emergency contact." Their text conversations are funny, relatable, and cute and it made this romance a very contemporary, unique one. 

I will say that this book will become dated very quickly because of how niche the lingo can be at times. There are references to YouTube, Instagram, emojiis, and iphones galore. This story is very grounded in the early 21st century, not just with the technology, but also the slang and the references to apps. However, I still find it an enjoyable read. Only time will tell how the content holds up for the future.

I think both Penny and Sam are well written characters - they are unique in their observations and very human in their reactions. I'm glad the author was able to give them distinct voices, despite how similar they were in many ways. All the side characters were interesting and brought some lightness to the angst of the main characters - I would loved to have seen more of Jude and Mallory, but I understand that the focus was not on college-life, per say, and more on the intimate workings of Penny's and Sam's thoughts and feelings and how they processed the world.

Overall, I'd recommend it to those who are looking for a slightly less "juvenile" YA - and by that, I mean, the young adult period of college/almost adulthood, rather than high school drama. Sam is 21, so we're dealing with a more mature young adult (if you can call him mature), with more adult problems. This would be a great read for teens transitioning from reading YA to Adult Fiction. I'd still recommend it to anyone looking for a cute, young romance book.

The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro     245 pages

This is Kazuo Ishiguro's profoundly compelling portrait of Stevens, the perfect butler, and of his fading, insular world in post-World War II England. Stevens, at the end of three decades of service at Darlington Hall, spending a day on a country drive, embarks as well on a journey through the past in an effort to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving the "great gentleman," Lord Darlington. But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington's "greatness," and much graver doubts about the nature of his own life.

This is a masterpiece of prose. Ishiguro is so skilled at writing narrative fiction, his characters always so thoughtful and philosophical. And yet, somehow as you read it, it doesn't get boring or too meandering. This book has almost no plot, and yet I found I didn't mind that. This book is essentially the musings of an English butler, looking back on moments in his life that could be considered "turning points," all brought about by the news that an old acquaintance might be free to return to her post. 

Each moment in the past brings to light more and more of Mr. Stevens' character, and you slowly get a sense of who he is as a person and it also brings into focus aspects about himself that he appears not to see, or is trying to persuade the reader he is not/does not feel, and yet you know he is/does. I love how all of this can be conveyed just through Mr. Stevens' own inner thoughts and recollection, but put in tandem with his remembrances of conversations he held in the past. Is he a reliable narrator? Perhaps, but it is obvious he does not know his own heart, or is trying to reject possible feelings or ideas because it would make his life unbearable. 

The ending itself is so perfect and things come together in such a bittersweet way. I'll just share one quote that really is one of the most beautiful things I've read:

"Perhaps, then, there is something to his advice that I should cease looking back so much, that I should adopt a more positive outlook and try to make the best of what remains of my day. After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished?" p. 244

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves realistic fiction, especially fiction that touches on historical - certain events of WWII are mentioned. This is classic English literature at its best.

Patina

Patina by Jason Reynolds     233 pages

Patina, or Patty, runs like a flash. She runs for many reasons--to escape the taunts from the kids at the fancy-schmancy new school she's been sent to since she and her little sister had to stop living with their mom. She runs from the reason WHY she's not able to live with her "real" mom any more: her mom has The Sugar, and Patty is terrified that the disease that took her mom's legs will one day take her away forever. So Patty's also running for her mom, who can't. But can you ever really run away from any of this? As the stress builds up, it's building up a pretty bad attitude as well. Coach won't tolerate bad attitude. No day, no way. And now he wants Patty to run relay...where you have to depend on other people? How's she going to do THAT?
--
A solid second in the "Track" series. I like Patina, I think her character is well developed in this book. Reynolds is particularly skilled at voice, and each character has their own individual voice which helps separate out their character and keeps this book well grounded in realism.

I also appreciate the tendency for the prose to be steeped in poetic flare. As a poet, Reynolds clearly writes his prose with poetry in his head, and it shows in the writing. I really enjoy the syntactic structure of his sentences and the rhythm he injects into Patina's narrative voice. I'm sure this book would make a great read-aloud for this very reason.

I'd recommend this to middle-grade readers who enjoy realistic fiction as well as books that include sports, though the sports aspect of this book is not the majority of the story (much of which centers more on family and friendship, as well as Patina's school life). The writing is good, the story is short and sweet, and it makes for a good addition in this series. 

Sled Dog School

Sled Dog School by Terry Lynn Johnson    208 pages

Aimed at kids in middle school, I think young readers will enjoy the problems eleven-year-old Matt is having in math. I know I can relate; I struggled with math from word problems in the third grade all the way through college algebra.

Matt has a chance to redeem his failing grade. He can start a business and keep the books. At first he wasn’t sure what to do. He hated his life: parents who had gone off the grid (really off as in no electricity) on a dead-end road and facing bullies at school was just the beginning.  But one thing he loved to was drive his dog sled.  Suddenly, that’s what he knew he could do, and Matt’s Dog Sled School was born.

Matt puts up posters at school and soon he has his first client. The only problem is, he needs three. But Tubbs will do although he is less than enthused about learning how to run a dog team.

Things go awry in a number of ways, but Matt stays the course.

A quick and easy read, the story flowed smoothly. The descriptions were vivid and the tension ran high. Johnson does a good job in creating lessons for the young ones to learn without being preachy.

Sled Dog School gets 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

    

Turtles All the Way Down

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green     286 pages

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. 

I don't know what else to say about this book other than I was deeply moved by it. I saw something of myself in Aza and that made her story so much more impactful to me. Her anxiety was so familiar to me, I felt the struggle along with her and I get stressed with her and I just couldn't stop thinking about this book and the characters in it. John Green is such a good storyteller, but he's also really good at making real, believable characters that could and do exist out there somewhere. This story was so well put together, and it's humor and its heartache get to me. I'll never forget it.

Backlash

Backlash by Sarah Darer Littman    326 pages

When Lara and Bree were in middle school, they were best friends and neighbors. They still live across the street from each other, but now that they are in high school, they barley acknowledge each other.  What happened?

 In middle school, Lara suffered from depression and was thirty pounds overweight. A target for all the snide comments and vicious nicknames. Bree, tired of listening to Lara whine, found new friends when they graduated to high school. But Lara got help. Now she’s thinner and prettier, but is still extremely sensitive. Bree is now jealous of her former friend.

 Although their parents monitor their Facebook activity, it isn’t hard for the girls to circumvent prying eyes. When Christian friends Lara, she can’t believe someone that good-looking would be interested in her, and despite all her parents’ warnings, she accepts his friend request.

They flirt, they laugh; Lara falls hard for Christian. He’s even hinting around that he may ask her to his school’s dance. Lara starts looking at dresses. Then the proverbial rug is pulled from under her feet. Christian starts to call her names, laughs at her, and even goes as far as telling her the world would be a better place without her in it. Devastated, Lara takes his last words too seriously. Bree’s reaction to Lara’s attempted suicide is horrifying.

 Backlash is told from four perspectives: Lara, Bree, Lara’s younger sister Sydney, and Bree’s younger brother Liam. What happens to Lara and Bree affects not only them, but their siblings as well. Short chapters make the action increase. It’s heart-pounding, non-stop action that pulls readers in from the first page and never lets go. This ripped-from-the-headlines should be mandatory reading for all seventh graders.

Jackpot

Jackpot by Gordon Korman, 200 pages

This is a book in the Swindle series.  While I had not read the previous books it didn’t impact much on reading this book.  Griffin has always been “The Man With The Plan” but after one of his plans ends with everyone assuming that he and his friends have been bullying another boy, Darren, who is actually a bully himself, Griffin’s friends are ready to give his plans a break for a while.  Especially since a new boy, Victor, has just moved to town and seems eager to make new friends with all of them, except Griffin, who he thinks was the real bully.  As a former victim of bullying, Victor doesn’t like Griffin, but no one but Griffin sees this.  Cut off from his friends, Griffin devises his own plan, ironically, at the insistence of Darren, to find the owner of a $30,000,000 lottery ticket that is about to expire.  This book is pretty funny, and although it’s outrageous, the kids and other characters are very realistic.  I would definitely recommend this to most kids who like humorous stories about friends and adventures.