Saint Anything, by Sarah Dessen

When I was student teaching in an Honors, single-gender girls program, Sarah Dessen was the fan favorite - my students were constantly passing around her novels, looking for similar authors, and talking about her characters and stories. It's been a while, though, since I've read one of her novels, so I was excited to give Saint Anything a try on NetGalley. 

Saint Anything is about high schooler Sydney, who's trying to survive in the aftermath of her older brother's terrible decision. Her brother, Peyton, despite paralyzing another boy in a drunk driving incident, remains perfect in her mother's eyes. Sydney, obviously, feels utterly invisible and neglected. I think a lot of kids can relate to that feeling, of being constantly overshadowed by a sibling, and never feeling like they're "good enough". Sydney switches schools from her private, snooty school, to the local public school, and makes a group of friends who help her navigate through the wake of her family's experiences. At the heart of this group of friends are brother and sister duo Mac and Layla, who have family issues of their own. Their guidance and attitudes help Sydney better understand her own problems and her parents' reactions. 

I think that readers who are already Dessen fans will love this novel. However, I'm not sure that new readers will find it as thrilling. The novel had a more psychological slant to it than some of her other romances, and it just didn't seem to 'move' as much as some of her other novels did. I will still recommend it, though!

Also Try: Anything by Sarah Dessen, Susane Colesanti

Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina, by Rodman Philbrick

As I've mentioned before, I love a good story about Hurricane Katrina. I love a story about Hurricane Katrina EVEN MORE when I see that it's written by Rodman Philbrick. I've been able to get even the most reluctant of readers hooked into Philbrick's characters and novels, so I knew this one would be good.

Zane and the Hurricane has an interesting twist in that Zane is accidentally in New Orleans when Katrina hits. He's visiting a relative he barely knows and has never been to the city before. When the mandatory evacuation notice is announced, he and his great-grandmother attempt to leave the city, but he's left behind when he chooses to follow his canine companion. Zane weathers the storm in his great-grandmother's house, alone except for his dog. Shortly after, he's picked up by some passers-by in a canoe. These aren't Red Cross workers or anything, they're just a man and a girl who were left behind as well. Zane comes to learn that they are acquainted with some unsavory characters, and he's put into some extremely dangerous situations. However, it all works out in the end.

What I love the most about the story is the way the "ugly" parts of Katrina's aftermath are captured, but not dwelled upon. For instance, the trio find themselves near a wealthy section of town. They're hoping to use a phone or bathroom, but instead are accosted by a group of helicopter-borne vigilantes, who are paid to protect the prestigious homes from looters. Zane and his friends are far from looters, but the whole city is suspicious, especially of African Americans.

That's another part of the story that's so interesting - Zane is half white and half black, at a time when racial tensions in the city were heightened. This is constantly brought to light as he struggles to survive in the wake of the hurricane. Additionally, during his time in New Orleans, Zane learns things about his family and his family's past (his father is dead) that he never knew and that help him understand where he's from.

Also Try: Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes; St. Louis Armstrong Beach, by Brenda Woods; Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick

Stay Where You Are and Then Leave, by John Boyne

I just read John Boyne's newest historical fiction novel on Netgalley. I didn't find it quite as captivating as his earlier The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, but I still really enjoyed the novel and Boyne's lyrical writing style.

Stay Where You Are and Then Leave is about a boy named Alfie and his family's experiences as his father, Georgie, enlists in the army to fight in World War I. Alfie and his mother, Margie, are left alone in London to fend for themselves, and their entire world changes quickly after Georgie leaves. Margie finds herself having to get a job, Alfie notices that attendance at school is no longer enforced, and neighbors begin to disappear. Alfie looks forward to the regular letters from his father, until they stop coming. Alfie is convinced that his father has died, but his mother insists he's on a "secret mission". Alfie soon learns the truth, and the novel takes a turn into examining post-traumatic stress disorder, before it was given that name.


I thought it was really interesting to examine PTSD through the lens of World War I, because you hear about it so often right now with soldiers returning from the Middle East. I was also amazed, again, at Boyne's ability to capture the voice of a child, and thought the narrative was very age-appropriate.

Publication Date: March 25, 2014

We Were Liars, by e. lockart

After reading e. lockhart's The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau Banks during my student teaching and witnessing several class periods of girls completely a-twitter about the novel's plot, I was really looking forward to this new release from her.

We Were Liars unfortunately disappointed me. The novel is about Cadence Sinclair, member of a filthy-rich family who vacations together each summer on their own private island. Things are in a state of turmoil for Cady after her parents have divorced and she's experienced a tragic accident that is often alluded to but never quite defined. The novel progresses like it wants to be a psychological thriller, slowly revealing the truth of Cady's unraveling, but it just didn't do very well. The novel as a whole just sort of plodded along, and I had quite a hard time finishing it.

Publication Date: May 13, 2014

See Jane Run, by Hannah Jayne

See Jane Run took a while for me to get into, but once I got into it I was hooked! The beginning of the novel just seemed a little contrived to me and I almost gave up on it, but I'm glad I didn't. 

See Jane Run is about a girl named Riley Spencer who has overprotective parents - way overprotective. They won't let her go anywhere without them; she even has to bribe them to go on a school-sponsored college tour. One day, Riley and her friend Shelby find a mysterious birth certificate that belongs to someone named Jane Elizabeth O'Leary. Riley has no idea who this person is, or why her parents would have her birth certificate. This makes Riley begin to question everything she's ever known - she doesn't even know if she can trust her parents. 

Riley vows to find out the truth about Jane O'Leary, and encounters some serious trouble and even a kidnapping along the way. She finally finds out the truth - but will she like what she finds?

Also Try: How to Save a Life, by Sara Zarr; Girl, Stolen, The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die, by April Henry 

Living with Jackie Chan, by Jo Knowles

Good news and bad news about Living with Jackie Chan, by Jo Knowles. The good news is that I absolutely loved it...I read it from NetGalley in about four hours. The bad news is that I hadn't read anything by Jo Knowles sooner - really looking forward to trying Jumping Off Swings and See You at Harry's.

Living with Jackie Chan is about a high school senior, Josh, who moves in to live with his uncle right before his senior year. He got a girl pregnant back home, his home life is a mess, and he feels like relocating is the only way to give himself a fighting chance at getting his life back on track. His uncle, Larry, is a karate and Jackie Chan-obsessed nutjob, but he turns out to be exactly what Josh needs. He drags Josh to karate classes, where Josh meets their neighbor Stella, and develops a quick but complicated friendship. While navigating the ropes of a new school, new living situation, and a new friend, Josh is still coming to terms with the guilt that he feels over the pregnancy. It does not help matters that the people who live above his uncle have a baby - a constant reminder of what he did.

I loved the way Living with Jackie Chan unfolded, and the way it examined the dynamics of a boy/girl teen friendship, secrets, and reinventing ourselves. I do think it's a little mature for some of my students, but the novel focused more on the way the characters were positively changed than on the act itself, so I think it will be okay for most.

Also Try: How to Save a Life, by Sara Zarr; Jumping Off Swings, by Jo Knowles

Ripped, by Shelly Dickson Carr

Ripped by Shelly Dickson Carr makes the THIRD Jack the Ripper-themed novel I've read in the past few months. All three of the Ripper novels I've read have taken different approaches: The Name of the Star, by Maureen Johnson, explored a modern-day copycat of the Ripper killings; Ripper, by Amy Carol Reeves, was a historical novel that chronicled the murders as they occurred; finally, Ripped is a time-travel novel in which the main character, Katie, attempts to go back in time to solve the murders and change the course of history, hopefully impacting her life in the present. I really liked taking a look at this topic from such different vantage points! 

Katie is a recent transplant to London - she finds herself living with her grandmother following her parents' untimely death. Her older sister, Courtney, is part of a girl group rock band; this lifestyle upsets their grandmother and has alienated Courtney from the family. Katie wants nothing more than to have things back to normal within her family and be able to see her sister more often. When she discovers a family link to the Jack the Ripper murders - an ancestor of hers named Lady Beatrix Twyford was murdered by the Ripper - she goes back in time via a time portal in the London Stone in an attempt to change history and save her family. The plot is filled with twists and turns, and I honestly did find myself constantly guessing who the Ripper would turn out to be - the culprit wasn't as obvious as is sometimes the case.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel but found it a bit too long. I couldn't really tell how many pages it was since I read it on my kindle app through NetGalley, but Barnes and Noble has it listed at 520 pages. My favorite parts were the inclusion of Cockney rhyming slang and the theme of the morality and potential complications of altering the past. The Name of the Star is still my favorite Ripper novel, but I think those interested in the subject would enjoy this one as well. 

Also Try: The Name of the Star, by Maureen Johnson; Ripped, by Amy Carol Reeves; Wrapped, by Jennifer Bradbury; The Future of Us, by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler (it explores similar themes of changing our past/future)

Hereafter, by Kate Brian

I received a galley of Hereafter through NetGalley - it's not due to published until October 1 - and I somehow didn't realize that the novel was the second in a series, not the first. That explains the mild air of confusion I felt throughout the novel! The first book is called Shadowlands, and I can't wait to read it and fill in the gaps.

Despite being a little confused, I loved the idea behind the novel and I love Kate Brian's style. I've known her name for a while, as her Private series has been very popular. I never read any of the Privates books, and I think that this new series is quite different than they are.

The novel takes place on Juniper Landing Island, which turns out to be a sort of in-between place. It's where people go after they die, while they're awaiting their fate - to infinite life in a good place, or in the evil Shadowlands. The thing about Juniper Landing, though, is that no one there knows they're dead; they all think they're on vacation. When people are "escorted" to their beyond, the other vacationers just assume they've gone on home. That brings up the "escorts". There are people on the island who are called "Lifers", and they escort the newly dead to their afterlife.

Main character Rory and her family are new to Juniper Landing, after having Rory's serial killer teacher. Rory quickly learns that she is a Lifer, but her father and sister, Darcy, are awaiting their fate. Rory quickly bonds with several of the Lifers, but all can tell that something is amiss on Juniper Landing. Rory looks to the oldest Lifer, Tristan, for help when one of the others, Nadia, turns on her. Things take a turn for the worse when everyone starts going to the Shadowlands - not just the awful people who deserve to. Can Rory figure out what's going on before it's too late?

Zebra Forest, by Adina Rishe Gewirtz

I was expecting a lot out of this book. I loved the cover (I know, I know...) and was super intrigued by the title. It's also the author's debut novel, which always piques my attention.

Zebra Forest is about two children, Annie and Rew - short for Andrew - who live with their mildly eccentric grandmother. They receive frequent visits from a social worker, and don't get to much pleasure out of going to school. They do love reading their grandmother's tattered copy of Treasure Island and playing in the "zebra forest" that's near their house. They don't really know what happened to either of their parents; all they know is that their mom left them and that their father is apparently dead. However, after a jailbreak at the local prison, an escaped convict takes shelter in their house and holds the family of three hostage. They learn new things about their past, and question what they've always thought to be true of their parents.

During the whole novel, I felt like I was waiting for something to happen. There were some big events - such as the convict entering the house - but none of it felt very climactic. I did like the idea of rethinking our views about family and lying, but I just don't see this as a book that would really grab my students. I'll have to see what they think come August!