While He Was Away

  More realistic YA fiction is now focusing on the military. The shift seems to switch between characters in war or about to go to war to those people who are left behind and on the outskirts of war. While He Was Away by Karen Schrek is not the first nor the best book I read that centers on the military.
Description:  One year--he'll be gone for one year and then we'll be together again and everything will be back to the way it should be. The day David left, I felt like my heart was breaking. Sure, any long-distance relationship is tough, but David was going to war--to fight, to protect, to put his life in danger. We can get through this, though. We'll talk, we'll email, we won't let anything come between us. I can be an army girlfriend for one year. But will my sweet, soulful, funny David be the same person when he comes home? Will I? And what if he doesn't come home at all?

Review: I was expecting While He Was Away would be an eye opening and emotional read, but unfortunately it left me unsatisfied. The book's premise holds promise but it's poor execution left the plot and the characters floundering. Towards the end of the book, I found myself skimming a lot of it just so I could finish it.
  The overall plot of While He Was Away is very straightforward. Penna and David are a couple who are now about to be separated due to David's deployment to Iraq. Penna is now left to face the struggles once he was gone. The book could have gone in several directions such as questions about the couple's fidelity, death, and/or the causes of war. Schreck doesn't take any of these roads, but litters the overall story-arc with multiple subplots that briefly touch upon each of these ideas. It was as if the author couldn't decide where she wanted to go with the story so just added a little bit of this and that to increase the page count. Instead of capturing my attention, it left me frustrated and well, bored.
   Though I understood the magnitude of Penna's emotional turmoil, I did not feel any emotional connection towards her. I thought she was too needy and too focused on David. I understand that young love can be consuming, but she basically felt lost and empty when David was gone. Another thing that really annoyed me was her relationship with her mother and David's fallen out best friend Ravi. Out of all the subplots, I thought the relationship between Penna and her mother had the most potential. Issues such as abandonment, forgiveness, and duty were all expressed but unfortunately the subplot was stagnate with Penna constantly blaming her mother everything that's wrong in her life and then it was quickly and unrealistically resolved with an apology. Penna's relationship with David's former best friend Ravi doesn't fair much better. Ravi symbolizes the anger, racism, and the back lash that several Asian communities received during the aftermath of 9/11. Mistaken as an Arab, Ravi is brutally bullied to the extent that he quit school altogether. Instead of delving into these issues, the author chooses instead to use Ravi as a potential love interest with Penna constantly assuring herself multiple times that he is just David's friend whenever they exchanged a few awkward conversations, but nothing happened to make us infer a new romance was on the horizon.
   Although the plot and characters were dull, what truly made me disappointed with this book is a scene which shows how David and Penna go on a website to play this game where the target was an Arabic guy, and the point of the game was to shoot red paint balls a la a gun and bullets so they will splatter all over him (as if he is bleeding). While Penna was hesitant, David told her "Think of 9/11, he totally deserves this". When I read this, I was completely stunned. I even had to reread it again to see if I misread. Not only did I find it completely offensive towards me as a Muslim. I was dumbstruck on how such an unbelievable generalization that all Arabs (or anyone with a brown skin color for that matter) and Muslims are terrorists. I really had hoped that there would be a good explanation of using this website, but there is none that I was satisfied with (an author note says the website is real and the creator made it after one of his family member was randomly shot in Iraq) besides pointing out how people thought about 9/11. I wanted and expected more from While He Was Away.

Rating: 2 stars

Words of Caution: There is some brief and candid discussion of sex and war. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt, Back Home by Julia Keller

Manga Mondays: Afterschool Charisma Vol. 6

  Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. Afterschool Charisma manga series a great science fiction read that has an interesting story line and probes the reader to question everything that he or she has learned.

Description: Kai, the terrorist and leader of the clone rebellion, continues his story of the past and paints a bleak potential future for the clones if they don't spring into action. Meanwhile Shiro is in an odd position. He had always thought of himself as an original, but now he learns startling facts about himself: he is just like any othe clone. Now he wonders what his role in the St. Kelio's Academy really is.

Review:  Afterschool Charisma continues to be a manga series that focuses on the deeper philosophical questions rather than an action packed plot. In the sixth volume, the characters puzzle over the age old question, "Who are we?" and "What are we suppose to do with our lives?" Though we are given more details about the history of the elite academy, I'm still unsure of what percent is truth and propaganda. The militant Kia does paint a convincing picture of clones simply decaying and "reprogrammed" if they don't follow the same footsteps of the past. Like the last volume in which we are given two versions of clone Hitler as an example to illustrate his point, this volume gives us Elizabeth (Elizabeth the Virgin Queen). The first Elizabeth clone is obsessed with learning from books. She is secluded in a room and driven to insanity, claiming she still not educated enough. The second Elizabeth clone is depressed from not being chosen by a buyer. Unwanted and driven by curiosity of what lies beyond the gates of the Academy, she plans an escape and fails.
  I am enjoying the way this manga is told. We have been setup to believe one thing and find out that it is a lie. Shiro is in the works to be another Kai, a clone guardian. He has been led to believe that he is an original human and his only friends are the clones so he naturally bonds with them. Will he also take part in the clone rebellion? Will his opinion of the clones and himself now change? I guess I'll have to wait for volume 7 to see what happens next.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There are mature themes and brief moments of strong violence, and some language. Recommended for older teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Afterschool Charisma Vol. 7 by Kumiko Suekane, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, Hetalia: Axis Powers by Hidekaz Himaruya, Code Geass by Majiko

Picture Book Reviews: Night Flight, Pop!, and Pete the Cat

  Last year I picked up pictures books and I've gotten to appreciate them much more than I did as a child. I hope to continue read and review them in the future. If you have any recommendations for me, please list them in the comments and I'll check them out!

Description: An account of Amelia Earhart's dangerous 1932 flight across the Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland to Ireland, in which she survived bad weather and a malfunctioning airplane. Includes a brief biography of the aviator.

Review: On a May evening in 1932, Amelia Earhart climbed into her single-engine, red Lockheed Vega and flew across the ocean, departing from Newfoundland and landing on a farm in Northern Ireland. Burleigh's suspenseful text and Minor's shifting perspectives work together to pull readers into the drama and action as they experience the anxiety and exhilaration that accompanied this historic flight. Earhart's skill, stamina, and courage are put to the test when a thunderstorm erupts, her altimeter breaks, and icy wings cause the plane to plummet. You could feel yourself become frighten for Amelia and for a brief moment wonder what terror she must have felt being in that plane alone. The third-person narrative is arranged in two-line stanzas of free verse; the language is fresh and evocative, morphing to match Amelia's tenacity. I loved the illustrations in this book which brings the text to life. You can picture yourself flying next to Amelia and have a panoramic view of the sea and sky. I think this book would incite curiosity about flying and all the various requirements that pilots have to go through in order to fly. The book also includes a technical note, bibliography, and inspirational quotes from Earhart's writings. This a great picture book biography that I think both girls and boys would enjoy.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 2-4.

If you like this book try: Talkin' About Bessie by Nikki Grimes, Bravest Woman in America by Marissa Moss


Description: Full of fun historical facts, this book is the true story of how bubble gum was invented.

Review: This was a fun nonfiction read. It's got some amusing illustrations, easy text to read, and fun history facts behind the invention of bubble gum. The story also touches briefly on the origin of gum, and the back matter a short biography of Diemer, a fact list about gum, and a bibliography to make this book a more thorough package. I wouldn't necessarily pick this one up from the shelves, but I think with a pitch about candy (always a kid's favorite) it might get its readership. Overall, a pretty entertaining story.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 2-4

If you like this book try: Apples by Gail Gibbons


Description: Pete the cat wears his school shoes when visiting the library, the lunchroom, the playground, and more while singing his special song.

Review: The first day of school can cause lots of anxiety for the little ones. Blue cat Pete is here to help make his readers a little less nervous with his proved his ability to roll with the punches when his white sneakers were accidentally stained red. Sporting the red treads for the first day of school, Pete is unflappable. He smoothly goes with the flow throughout the day. School setting is nicely drawn with appealing eye-catching colors. There's humor to be found in the deadpan expressions of Pete and his fellow cats as he sits with friends in the lunchroom, plays at recess, and solves math problems on the board. There is also a free song that you can listen to while you're reading the book that might increase the reader's enjoyment of the story.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades PreK-2

If you like this book try: Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel, Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton

Third Grave Dead Ahead (Charley Davidson #3)

  Charley Davidson was one of my best finds from last year. There are currently four books in the series that are currently out. I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Fifth Grave Past the Light, which releases this July. I love spending time with Charley and company.

Description: Part-time Private Investigator and full time Grim Reaper extraordinaire, Charley Davidson, is back and drinking copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake because, every time she closes her eyes, she sees him: Reyes Alexander Farrow. Yes, she did royally piss him off the last time they met, but how else is she suppose to solve her cases and deal with all the other kinds of drama in her life?

Review: This third installment of the Charley Davidson series is probably my favorite so far. The writing and the plot structure are a lot stronger. The subplots in this book held my attention throughout, which is a complaint that I had of the first two books as I thought they seem to clutter the mysterious relationship between Charley and her mercurial love interest, Reyes. Each subplot carried the same theme and tone throughout so it never took you out of the story, but rather pushed you to read just another page or chapter when you thought you could take a break.
  Books in a series can become formulaic very quickly, but Jones avoids this as she introduces new characters and carefully places plot twists that I did not see coming. Family drama and relationship issues offers its own interesting and complicating dimensions to the story. We are given some answers as to how Charley and Reyes fit into the little event called the Apocalypse  Like Charley, we are also left in the dark about how powerful she truly is and we very impatient for more answers.
  The series trademark is not in the mysteries that Charley solves, which could easily be solved by readers who pay careful attention to the clues that are sprinkled across the pages, but rather its characters and their irresistible humor. Charley's humor is infectious and within minutes she has me laughing. Her snarky comments and levity to the dark situations that she finds herself. A normal person would throw in the towel and say that can't held it but Charley is not ordinary by any means. Charley's best friend and partner in crime, Cookie, is the epitome of a best friend. She runs with Charley's antics and plays off her off beat humor. I can only imagine all the conversations they would share in the office.
  Reyes still continues to confuse me. Though he is undoubtedly physically attractive, I didn't like him at all in this book. Part of me wonders if he is trying to make Charley hate him on purpose, but he does have some sweet moments that me make hesitate to say he is evil. I know there is a lot about Reyes we don't know and I'm eager to find out more. Readers looking for a funny, fun, and charming book with some doses of paranormal and romance should definitely pick this series up. It'll brighten up anyone's horrible day.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language, crude humor, some strong violence, and a few sexual situations. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Fourth Grave Dead Ahead by Darynda Jones (Charley Davidson #4), Accidental Friends series by Dakota Cassidy, Peper Martin series by Casey Daniels, Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson, and the Chicagoland Vampire series by Chloe Neill

Challenged: Julie of the Wolves

  I've gotten a great response from reviewing challenged books and though I'm not participating in any banned/challenged books this year, I do plan on continuing reviewing these books as I think it's important information to know. I am even considering making it my own meme/feature for my blog. What do you think?

Description: While running away from home and an unwanted marriage, a thirteen-year-old Eskimo girl becomes lost on the North Slope of Alaska and is befriended by a wolf pack.

Review: During my younger reluctant reading days, I was handed a copy of Julie of the Wolves to read since I absolutely loved and adored Scott O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins and was hoping to read a similar story. I did not finish Julie of the Wolves because the plot moved too slowly for me and I couldn't connect with Julie at all.
  Now after several years I tried Julie of Wolves again since it is one of the most frequently and prominent children's book that has challenged. Looking at the reasons listed for the challenges, I quickly realized that this book is one that I ought to know about.
  Though I still find the plot pacing to be very slow and found the protagonist to be a bit aloof, I immediately drawn into her desperate situation. In the first half of the book, she is alone and struggles to befriend a pack of wolves in the snowy backdrop of Alaska in the hopes that the wolves would give her food and their protection. She spends a lot of trying to understand the wolves' behavior in efforts to communicate with them. Slowly, the wolves become somewhat comfortable around her. Soon the wolves become an allegory of her troubling family situations.
  Julie of the Wolves is a many layered adventure story that also brushes upon colonialism and self discovery just to name a few. For example Julie's real name is Miyax but she is called Julie when she goes to school where she learns how to read and write English. Miyax is torn between abandoning her "old" Eskimo customs and culture in order to become more "civilized" in the modern world of the white-man “gussak". Though she enjoys and is successful at learning English, she is taken out of school because she has become a marriageable age. Troubling home situation after another, Miyax runs away into the Alaskan wilderness and must decide for herself what life she wants to lead. Although the climax and the ultimate ending of the story seem troubling, bleak, and unsatisfying, it speaks of  Miyax's maturity and her newly gained independence.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Why it was challenged: Julie of the Wolves is listed at #32 on the ALA's most frequently challenged books 1990-1999 and #91 on the 2000-2009  list. The reasons for the book challenged are: references to alcoholism, divorce, abuse  (therefore, anti-family), for sexual content, offensive language, violence and being unsuited to age group. Source: Marshall Library and MVCC library guide.

Words of Caution: There are allusions to adult alcoholism and a glimpse of domestic abuse. Recommended for Grades 7 and up. The most notable scene which the challenges are referring to is that of Miyax's marriage to Daniel, a boy who is described as "mentally slow" and that of her in-laws. Daniel's father is an alcoholic and we learn that Eskimos have a low tolerance to alcohol. Daniel's father becomes an angry drunk and hits his wife. The readers don't see this happening but we hear it from one of Miyax's friends. Meanwhile Daniel storms home and is angry that people from his village are making fun of him that he can't please his wife. In a fit, Daniel pushes Miyax down and rips her shirt. Many readers have construed this small scene as rape, but when I read this scene I didn't find any contextual clues to suggest this. Not to condone his behavior, Daniel jumps up and says "he can" and soon leaves. The author has said that she needed a very urgent and important event happen to Julie in order to motivate her to leave her situation and find her own life as family is extremely important to the Eskimo culture.

If you like this book try: Julie (Julie of the Wolves #2) by Jean Craighead George, Island of Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

The Last Echo (Bodyfinder #3)

 Readers looking for a great paranormal romantic suspense book recommendation should look no further than the Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting. This series is sure to grab anyone's attention. Unlike some protagonists that have extraordinary powers that I would love to have, I definitely do not want Violet's and would much rather prefer being an ordinary human.

Description (from Goodreads): Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship” and Violet may have caught his eye....

Review: The Last Echo returns the Body Finder series to its creepy, spine-tingling, and suspenseful premise and format. Violet has the ability to feel "echoes," sensations that help her find dead bodies and killers. While still struggling with accepting her ability, she has more or less become involved in solving horrendous murder crimes. She has now caught the eye of Agent Sarah who runs a special team of teens working on high-profile projects for the police and has been invited to join the team. Soon Violet finds out that there are other teens like her who have extraordinary powers such as divining facts from objects and talking to ghosts just to name a few. For once Violet doesn't feel like a freak, but she also can't shake off the uneasiness of being on the outside as she isn't told much about the special team and no one with the exception of the hot and cold Rafe seems to reluctantly open up to her.
  Derting works suspense and a tightly held plot quite well in The Last Echo. We are given little clues about the special team and an inside glimpse of Rafe's personal life, but not complete answers. I'm still ambivalent about the special team introduced in the book as a lot of its history is cloaked in mystery. Who is Sarah's supervisor  How long have they had their eyes on Violet? Does Violet a contract with them or can she leave at any time?
    Aside from learning about the special team, Violet's therapy session with her shrink, hired by the special team's organizers, due to panic attacks and nightmares is a fascinating look at Violet's psyche and plays an important role in Violet's new case. The therapy sessions puts Violet out of her comfort zone, particularly when asked about her ability and how far she is willing to work for her team. Violet's strength, physical, mental, and emotional, are put to the test when she is placed in some tense situations. Her latest case involves women who are being murdered by the "collector," a serial killer who attacks victims and dresses them as if they were going on dates. And in a separate matter, she encounters James Nua, a man with strong echoes from murdering his girlfriend and children. The Collector and James Nua are both equally disturbing and terrifying. Though their antics are not described in details, we are given enough information to cause goosebumps and shudder. Like many other teens found in similar situations in YA books who don't report their worries to their parents, Violet simple safety precautions which did illicit my frustration as a reader but she did demonstrates maturity and courage in many ways of getting out of tricky situations which I admired.
  Although the relationship between Violet and Jay took precedence in book two of this series, Desires of the Dead, the romance is less apparent and regulated in the background. While there are sweet moments, there is a potential of a love triangle. Rafe is a brooding guy with secrets and Violet's inability to detect his mood swings and understand him confuses and intrigues her. There is also the unexplained energy shocks that occurs whenever Rafe and Violet come into physical contact. Luckily, Violet doesn't spend time pondering "what if" scenarios about Rafe and she truly does love her best-friend turned boyfriend Jay but does her complicated feelings about Rafe mean that she is betraying her loyal boyfriend? I really truly hope not. I would like to see one couple who can stay safe from a love triangle plus I adore Violet and Jay as a couple. While The Last Echo doesn't end on a cliffhanger, we are left with a cruel teaser and I can't wait to find out what obstacles throws into the path of our heroine. You might want to read this one right before bed unless you don't mind leaving the lights on while you sleep.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and disturbing images. Recommended for strong Grade 8 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Dead Silence (Body Finder #4) by Kimberly Derting, coming April 2013, Graveyard Queen series by Amanda Stevens, Clarity by Kim Harrington, Spookygirl by Jill Baguchinsky, Touch by Francine Prose, Slide by Jill Hathaway

Manga Monday: Afterschool Charisma Vol. 5

  Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. The last volume of Afterschool Charisma left me with a cliffhanger of sorts. A huge event happened and ended in the fourth volume with a promise of an explanation in volume five. My problem? Volume five was constantly checked out since last May and by that time volume six was also published. So, I guess it's a mixed bag that since I got a  hold of both volumes and read them. Unlike the Nana manga series that is filled with drama with a capital "D", the Afterschool Charisma manga series gives me a brain cramp filled constant flurries of "What if?"s floating in  my head as I turn the pages.

Description: In the aftermath of the disastrous school expo at St. Kleio Academy, an exclusive school of famous historical clones, where some of the clones were killed (most noteably Joan of Arc who was burned the stake), a returning clone known only as “Kai” who bears a disturbing resemblance to Shirou tells a story about the previous generation of clones and what could have turned him and others into “terrorists” working against the school.

Review: I really wished the publishers and the authors would work harder in recapping the story thus far before continuing the story arc. It's a good thing that I reviewed my older review posts as well as checked out some other reviewers before diving into this latest volume. Volume 5 promised some answers, but like the nature of this entire manga series it provides more questions than answers.
  Volume 5 centers around the main questions of why clones, regardless if they are famous historical figures, are made? What is the purpose of St. Kleio Academy? Are the lives of clones entitled to make their own mark or are they predestined to follow their footsteps of their predecessor?
  The mysterious "Kai", who is an ordinary person that was cloned, is our peek inside St. Kleio Academy. Though set up like a school, the academy is a breeding farm that herds clones like cattle and sell them off to auctions. The clones are forced to follow their predecessor's footsteps (i.e. have the same accomplishments, skills, and even behavior/personality). If the clone is seen to be out of place, they are aborted and created anew. Kai is an interesting character, who makes you feel torn between feeling sorry for him and making you wonder what plans he has up his sleeves. As the main figure who catalyzed the clone rebellion (or is the rebellion just for the amusement of the Academy director?), he provides information to the current class of clones. Now whether this information is true or just another form of propaganda, that yet to be determined.
  In addition to Kai, we are given different scenarios of what clones can accomplish in this volume. The most striking clone for me in this series has been the young Hitler. Like his care-free personality, his youthful and innocent physical appears is very striking. There are two clone Hitlers explored. The first Hitler is a very talented young artist who has no political ambitions whatsoever. Once discovered this clone suddenly disappears and a new Hitler clone appears. The second Hitler clone is aware and appalled by his original's actions. He gives his whole life up to a religious institution and atones for his original's sins and dies a noble death. With these two versions of what could have been, we can't help but wonder if the old saying "history will repeat itself?" rings true.
  I really enjoy how the moral ambiguities of cloning as it lends itself to discussion and it's really what draws me to this series. I really want to know about what society needs these clones of historical figures for that they are producing them and auctioning them off like a meat market. What societal pressure is causing this? What exactly are they expected to do out there?

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some crude sexual humor, a brief scene of nudity, and violence. Recommended for older teens and adults only.

If you like this book then try: Afterschool Charisma Vol. 6 by Kumiko Suekane, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, Hetalia: Axis Powers by Hidekaz Himaruya, Code Geass by Majiko