The "X-Y" Reviews--See the content keys for an explanation of the numbers.
The Year We Were Famous: based on the true story of young Clara Estby's walk across America, by Carole Estby Dagg
*2011 winner of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Sue Alexander Award for most promising new manuscript; 2012 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Younger Readers; WILLA award from Women Writing the West; selected by the ALA for its annual Amelia Bloomer List of feminist fiction*
Core themes: self-discovery; learning to live with consequences of poor/sinful actions; mother-daughter relationships and learning to accept each other's faults; suffragism; the power of the human spirit to make dreams come true
Drugs/alcohol: none
Romance/sexuality: 2--A word of explanation is in order here. Near the end of the novel, Clara discovers that she was conceived out of wedlock. The explanations are subtle and mild. Also, there is a slight romantic tension between Clara and a newspaper journalist, but nothing comes of it.
Violence/abuse: none
Vulgarities: none
Literary artistry: * * * * *
Comments: It is refreshing to come across a young adult novel that I can hand to my teens without wondering if I'm doing the right thing. I come across precious few of such books these days! The Year We Were Famous isn't great literature, but it is a great story of an unbelievable feat--two women walking across America in 1896 to save their farm. Best of all, it is a true story. Yes, it is partly fictionalized, since the author did not have complete records, but the fact that the walk actually happened is enough to grab my attention. Even better, the author is a descendant of the women who actually made this walk. Although at times I was frustrated with the story's lack of detail about certain events, such as a 150-mile detour they made from Denver to Cripple Creek, it was a fun read--my favorite way to get an American history lesson about the gritty, determined people who built our great nation.
I would suggest this book to younger teens / older teens / all teens / no teens.
Author website: http://www.caroleestbydagg.com
Reviewer: Cheri Blomquist
*2011 winner of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Sue Alexander Award for most promising new manuscript; 2012 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Younger Readers; WILLA award from Women Writing the West; selected by the ALA for its annual Amelia Bloomer List of feminist fiction*
Core themes: self-discovery; learning to live with consequences of poor/sinful actions; mother-daughter relationships and learning to accept each other's faults; suffragism; the power of the human spirit to make dreams come true
Drugs/alcohol: none
Romance/sexuality: 2--A word of explanation is in order here. Near the end of the novel, Clara discovers that she was conceived out of wedlock. The explanations are subtle and mild. Also, there is a slight romantic tension between Clara and a newspaper journalist, but nothing comes of it.
Violence/abuse: none
Vulgarities: none
Literary artistry: * * * * *
Comments: It is refreshing to come across a young adult novel that I can hand to my teens without wondering if I'm doing the right thing. I come across precious few of such books these days! The Year We Were Famous isn't great literature, but it is a great story of an unbelievable feat--two women walking across America in 1896 to save their farm. Best of all, it is a true story. Yes, it is partly fictionalized, since the author did not have complete records, but the fact that the walk actually happened is enough to grab my attention. Even better, the author is a descendant of the women who actually made this walk. Although at times I was frustrated with the story's lack of detail about certain events, such as a 150-mile detour they made from Denver to Cripple Creek, it was a fun read--my favorite way to get an American history lesson about the gritty, determined people who built our great nation.
I would suggest this book to younger teens / older teens / all teens / no teens.
Author website: http://www.caroleestbydagg.com
Reviewer: Cheri Blomquist
You Bring the Distant Near, by Mitali Perkins
*National Book Award nominee, 2017; Walter Honor Award (YA category), 2018; YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick, 2017; Amelia Bloomer List for recommended feminist literature (YA fiction category), 2018; Audie Award (audio book--YA fiction category), 2018*
Why this book is worth considering:
I kind of dreaded reading this book, to be honest. I was sure it was one I couldn't relate to much, since it is focused on Indian-Americans. Buuut, I want to include a wide variety of books on What's In It, so I dutifully picked it up and started to read. What a delightful book in so many ways! Yes, it's true that I can't relate to it much; there are hardly any white characters, and I am about as white as it gets. It was a good thing, though, because through this novel, I gained a window into a side of America I know almost nothing about: Indian-American culture.
Although the writing isn't flawless--I found myself confused and a bit lost several times--it is easy to read, and I enjoyed the multi-generational story of Indian immigrants. The tension between family members and within themselves is moving and thought-provoking, as they make a home in America while still retaining their Indian (and British for a couple of the younger characters) identity. Several times I was brought to tears. The novel is also fascinating to me particularly because racism is a strong theme in the novel, except it is about Indian racism against blacks, a problem that I didn't know existed. This is only one of many themes, however.
Religion, romance, and many other topics ebb and flow throughout the novel as characters move through adolescence, grow up to have children of their own, and care for their elderly. It is very light on swearing (I actually don't remember any), and it contains no sex, violence, abuse, or substance abuse. There is some kissing, but it is non-graphic. As the characters grow and change, there is some friction between Hinduism and Christianity, but the author handles both religions with respect and even reverence at times.
Why this book may not be right for your teen:
Honestly, I can't think of a single reason why this wouldn't be a good read for a teen, unless you are only looking for truly great writing or are uncomfortable with the Hindu or Christian references in the novel. These are handled realistically and respectfully, however, and I would be surprised if the author's treatment of religion offended any readers.
Literary artistry: * * * * *
I would suggest this book to younger teens / older teens / all teens/ no teens.
Author Website: http://www.mitaliperkins.com/
Reviewer: Cheri Blomquist
*National Book Award nominee, 2017; Walter Honor Award (YA category), 2018; YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick, 2017; Amelia Bloomer List for recommended feminist literature (YA fiction category), 2018; Audie Award (audio book--YA fiction category), 2018*
Why this book is worth considering:
I kind of dreaded reading this book, to be honest. I was sure it was one I couldn't relate to much, since it is focused on Indian-Americans. Buuut, I want to include a wide variety of books on What's In It, so I dutifully picked it up and started to read. What a delightful book in so many ways! Yes, it's true that I can't relate to it much; there are hardly any white characters, and I am about as white as it gets. It was a good thing, though, because through this novel, I gained a window into a side of America I know almost nothing about: Indian-American culture.
Although the writing isn't flawless--I found myself confused and a bit lost several times--it is easy to read, and I enjoyed the multi-generational story of Indian immigrants. The tension between family members and within themselves is moving and thought-provoking, as they make a home in America while still retaining their Indian (and British for a couple of the younger characters) identity. Several times I was brought to tears. The novel is also fascinating to me particularly because racism is a strong theme in the novel, except it is about Indian racism against blacks, a problem that I didn't know existed. This is only one of many themes, however.
Religion, romance, and many other topics ebb and flow throughout the novel as characters move through adolescence, grow up to have children of their own, and care for their elderly. It is very light on swearing (I actually don't remember any), and it contains no sex, violence, abuse, or substance abuse. There is some kissing, but it is non-graphic. As the characters grow and change, there is some friction between Hinduism and Christianity, but the author handles both religions with respect and even reverence at times.
Why this book may not be right for your teen:
Honestly, I can't think of a single reason why this wouldn't be a good read for a teen, unless you are only looking for truly great writing or are uncomfortable with the Hindu or Christian references in the novel. These are handled realistically and respectfully, however, and I would be surprised if the author's treatment of religion offended any readers.
Literary artistry: * * * * *
I would suggest this book to younger teens / older teens / all teens/ no teens.
Author Website: http://www.mitaliperkins.com/
Reviewer: Cheri Blomquist
See the content keys for an explanation of the numbers.
You Have Seven Messages, by Stewart Lewis
*an ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults*
Core themes: first love, self-awareness/growing up, types of adult relationships
Drugs/alcohol: A few instances of adults drinking; one instance of a teen protagonist taking a drink at a funeral
Religion/occult: none
Romance/sexuality: 1, 4, 5, 6
Violence/abuse: one death by car accident
Vulgarities: none
Literary artistry: * * * * *
Comments: There are two reasons why I decided to review this book. The first is that my OCD kicked in when I realized it would be the first "Y" entry on the What's In It site. Secondly, I thought the premise was intriguing and had promise. In this story the protagonist's mother has died, and when she visits her studio almost a year later (?!), she discovers her cellphone with seven unheard voice messages. This spurs her on to try to find answers to questions that have been bothering her about her mother's death and why her father won't give her any details. I thought it would be heavy on the mystery end of things, but it turned out to be more of a coming-of-age/relationship story. While parts of the story are touching, like her relationship with the boy across the street, other parts are a little contrived and rely too heavily on coincidence. There are a few too many celebrities thrown in, and it is preachy on the "Let's just accept everyone where they are at" mantra. It also portrays heterosexual marriage in a negative light (divorces, adultery), while glamorizing same-sex relationships, open marriages, and children out-of-wedlock as the more pleasing, intelligent way to live.
I would suggest this book to younger teens / older teens / all teens / no teens. Note: I went with this recommendation, instead of "no teens," because the main problem I have with this book is that it caused me to roll my eyes a lot.
Author website: http://www.stewartlewis.com
Reviewer: Sabrina Holland
*an ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults*
Core themes: first love, self-awareness/growing up, types of adult relationships
Drugs/alcohol: A few instances of adults drinking; one instance of a teen protagonist taking a drink at a funeral
Religion/occult: none
Romance/sexuality: 1, 4, 5, 6
Violence/abuse: one death by car accident
Vulgarities: none
Literary artistry: * * * * *
Comments: There are two reasons why I decided to review this book. The first is that my OCD kicked in when I realized it would be the first "Y" entry on the What's In It site. Secondly, I thought the premise was intriguing and had promise. In this story the protagonist's mother has died, and when she visits her studio almost a year later (?!), she discovers her cellphone with seven unheard voice messages. This spurs her on to try to find answers to questions that have been bothering her about her mother's death and why her father won't give her any details. I thought it would be heavy on the mystery end of things, but it turned out to be more of a coming-of-age/relationship story. While parts of the story are touching, like her relationship with the boy across the street, other parts are a little contrived and rely too heavily on coincidence. There are a few too many celebrities thrown in, and it is preachy on the "Let's just accept everyone where they are at" mantra. It also portrays heterosexual marriage in a negative light (divorces, adultery), while glamorizing same-sex relationships, open marriages, and children out-of-wedlock as the more pleasing, intelligent way to live.
I would suggest this book to younger teens / older teens / all teens / no teens. Note: I went with this recommendation, instead of "no teens," because the main problem I have with this book is that it caused me to roll my eyes a lot.
Author website: http://www.stewartlewis.com
Reviewer: Sabrina Holland
