YA Friday Book Review: Lock and Mori

Lock and Mori
by Heather W. Petty
Audience: Young Adult
Simon and Schuster (September 15)
IndieBound | WorldCat

Description from GoodReads:

"In modern-day London, two brilliant high school students—one Sherlock Holmes and a Miss James “Mori” Moriarty—meet. A murder will bring them together. The truth very well might drive them apart.

Before they were mortal enemies, they were much more…

FACT: Someone has been murdered in London’s Regent’s Park. The police have no leads.

FACT: Miss James “Mori” Moriarty and Sherlock “Lock” Holmes should be hitting the books on a school night. Instead, they are out crashing a crime scene.

FACT: Lock has challenged Mori to solve the case before he does. Challenge accepted.

FACT: Despite agreeing to Lock’s one rule—they must share every clue with each other—Mori is keeping secrets.

OBSERVATION: Sometimes you can’t trust the people closest to you with matters of the heart. And after this case, Mori may never trust Lock again."

Carolyn's thoughts on the book:

As a huge fan of the BBC show Sherlock, it goes without saying that I would be pretty interested in any and every contemporary adaptation of the classic novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - so I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of Heather W. Petty's debut novel, Lock and Mori. I haven't found many adaptations aside from Sherlock that I like, but this book is everything I could have hoped for and more. Mori is a fantastic narrator, and while I expected this book to be a set up for her and Sherlock to become arch nemeses, Petty's brilliance lies in how subtly she does so - by making the pair romantically entangled and partners-in-(solving)-crime, it isn't an explicit betrayal that foreshadows future conflict but rather a small choice Sherlock makes despite Mori's request. The two character are deeply rooted in the characters of the original novels, and yet still have a fresh originality about them. While a good amount of details are lifted from the original books, the plot is new, complete with an intriguing backstory on Mori's family that ties into the murder itself, and the connections to the classics never feel forced or cloying, while still being clever and subtle enough for the most dedicated fans of the original books (Watson is briefly introduced as a minor character, but I have a feeling he'll have a larger role to play in the upcoming books). The ever-evolving relation between Mori and Sherlock is dynamic and complex and most importantly sincere, something that I feel is less and less emphasized in the portrayal of teenage relationships in YA. And, as an added bonus, there are (at least) two more novels in the series slated to arrive in 2016 and 2017, respectively - so you'll get to finish them all before the next season of Sherlock comes out! Just kidding...(that's only *slightly* incorrect - we're getting a Christmas special this year). But the book is exceptional regardless of other adaptations. 

Lock and Mori is a fantastic read, perfect for fans of the original novels and any Sherlock Holmes adaptations.

Carolyn is a teen blogger who shares her favorite YA reads and favorite book related finds with readers on Fridays.

YA Friday Book Review: A Whole New World

A Whole New World
By Liz Braswell
Disney-Hyperion (September 1, 2015)
Audience: Young Adult
IndieBound | WorldCat

Description from GoodReads:

"Welcome to a new YA series that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. Each book asks the question: What if one key moment from a familiar Disney film was changed? This dark and daring version of Aladdin twists the original story with the question: What if Jafar was the first one to summon the Genie? 

When Jafar steals the Genie’s lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish.To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war.

What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again."

Carolyn's thoughts on the book:

Liz Braswell's A Whole New World is a great take on the classic Disney story Aladdin we all know and love. While the story is very similar to the movie in the beginning, a plot twist involving Jafar obtaining the lamp quickly sets the book down a decidedly different path. Aladdin and Jasmine band together with a group of street thieves to revolt against Jafar's despotic reign, with their wits (and perhaps a touch of magic) their only weapons. Magic in the novel is explored more deeply, with the history of genies and the laws of magic both The Agrabah of the book is very similar to the city in the movie, but the reader is offered a (slight) bit more of a geographical context, and Braswell's lush descriptions seamlessly take the reader from desert caves to back-alley hideouts to the palace itself. But Braswell's greatest feat is taking the characters of Aladdin and injecting them with depth and a dynanism that truly takes the characters from 2D to real life (no animation pun intended). The novel is more real and even slightly darker than the movie (not every character we love will make it out in one piece, and apparently creating zombies is a skill encompassed under being the most powerful sorcerer in the world), but there also is a better sense of the gravity of the situation of Agrabah - the systemic poverty that existed under the Sultan is addressed, inflation is (briefly) touched upon, and the question of political development in the aftermath of Jafar's tyranny is at least discussed (though by no means fully confronted). 

A Whole New World is a fantastic read, perfect for high-schoolers who grew up watching Disney classics in their childhood. 

Carolyn is a teen blogger who shares her favorite YA reads and favorite book related finds with readers on Fridays.

YA Friday: Banned Books Week 2015

It's that time of the year. The weather is cooling off, trees are turning red and orange, Starbucks is selling Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, and kids are heading back to school - and some people are fighting to keep books out of their schools. It's ALA's annual Banned Books Week, a time for raising awareness about censorship and gaining support for schools, teachers, and librarians who offer a wide range of books to students (and often face backlash for it). Here's what you should know about Banned Books week, a sample of resources and materials, and even an excerpt of my thoughts on the subject from a previous post.

What is Banned Books Week? Why do we need to talk about this?

"Banned Books Week is the national book community's annual celebration of the freedom to read. Hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the country draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events. [...] Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982 according to the American Library Association. There were 311 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2014, and many more go unreported." 

- Banned Books Week website

You can read more in-depth information about Banned Books Week and challenged books on the ALA website.

ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom's 10 most-challenged books of 2014:

1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian  by Sherman Alexie
2. Persepolis  by Marjane Satrapi
3. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
4. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
5. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
6. Saga by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples
7. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
9. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
10. Drama by Raina Telgemeier

More detailed information about the reasoning behind the challenges can be found here, as well as on the Banned Books website.

A selection of my thoughts on the importance of offering a selection of books to kids:

"If [parents] think that reading one questionable book will completely subvert their efforts to raise an upright child, then there are bigger issues at hand. 

So read banned books. Go to local school board meetings and advocate against banning books in our schools. Parents, have discussions with your children instead of censoring their content. Go to a bookstore, pick up a challenged book, and enjoy the fact that in the pluralistic society we live in, access to books isn't - and shouldn't be - controlled by an indignant minority."

-Carolyn Gruss, Why I read Banned Books - and Why You Should, too.

Resources: 

Information:

• ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom
• National Coalition Against Censorship
• Banned Books Week website

How to combat censorship:

• Judy Blume's Resource Guide/Toolkit on Book Censorship in Schools
• NCAC's Book Censorship Toolkit
• Banned Books Week resources page - individualized resources for artists, booksellers, kids, librarians, teachers, publishers, students, and writers

A selection of videos made for Banned Books Week:

Bookmans, www.bookmans.com, an independent bookstore with six locations in Arizona, created this video for the 2012 Banned Books Week Virtual Read-Out, www.bannedbooksweek.org/virtualreadout During Bookmans' 36-year fight against censorship, the shattered light bulb emerged as a powerful symbol of the importance of free speech.

Combining passages from challenged books read by customers and employees, this video expresses our concern about censorship. Not all inhibitors to free speech are as sensational as book banning. Censorship can be stealthy. It creeps into our lives without us recognizing what is free and what has been redacted.

Stan Lee, the legendary comics creator, discusses censorship and literacy for the Banned Books Week Virtual Read-Out! Banned Books Week (September 21-27), highlights the importance of free access to information while spotlighting attempts to remove books from libraries and schools across the country. For more information about Banned Books Week, please visit www.ala.org/bbooks and www.bannedbooksweek.org.

I hope you found this post informative and that you'll join me in advocating against censorship. Let me know on Twitter by tweeting me @YALitFrenzy what you're doing for Banned Books Week. 

YA Friday Book Review: Maid of Wonder

Maid of Wonder
by Jennifer McGowan
Simon and Schuster (August 25, 2015)
Audience: Young Adult
IndieBound | WorldCat

Description from GoodReads:

"“Death comes to Windsor.”

Sophia Dee, the most unusual spy of Queen Elizabeth’s Maids of Honor, has run out of time for her psychic skills to fully manifest. A terrible new prophecy now haunts Windsor Castle, and the Queen demands answers before the next doomed soul dies.

Thrust into a dangerous and horrifying competition to solve the deadly prediction, Sophia finds herself pitted against the most celebrated mystics of Europe: John Dee, her devious uncle and the Queen’s personal astrologer. . . and Nostradamus, the renowned prophet-seer of France.

In a court where whispers of witchcraft, poisonous plots, and grim assassins threaten her at every turn, Sophia needs answers fast. But does she dare trust Marcus Quinn, her uncle’s striking and over-ambitious assistant? Or, instead, should she turn to the tortured dark angel of the spirit realm, who whispers to her only of sorrow and death?

As new dangers surface and dire prophecy sweeps toward its final victim, the five Maids of Honor prepare to do battle. Only then will the girl who so often sees the future finally discover if she can save the Crown—and herself."

Carolyn's thoughts on the book:

The Maids of Honor series is a fascinating and brilliant mixture of historical fact and fiction, but the latest installment, Maid of Wonder, elevates the series further by adding fantasy into the mix. Each novel focuses on a specific member of the Maids of Honor of Queen Elizabeth I, a fictitious group of young women hand-selected by the queen to keep tabs on the court - and act on that information for the safety of the queen. While talents of the two young women that the first two novels (Maid of Secrets and Maid of Deception) each focused on (Meg and Beatrice) are quite within the boundaries of natural talents (deception and emotional manipulation, respectively), Sophia's talents are decidedly supernatural. Blessed - or perhaps cursed - with 'the Sight,' or the ability to see into and communicate with beings in the supernatural realm, Sophia was stolen away from her parents by her 'uncle' John Dee, the queen's astrologer, for his own personal ends when she was young - but now that her powers have been realized, her position with the queen is (theoretically) more secure. But the queen's temperament proves to the greatest risk to Sophia's position in court, although Sophia's concerns are of a far deadlier nature. The spirits have told her that an attempt on the queen's life (as well as the death of another) will happen soon, but with precious few information - and to make matters worse, she's forced to compete against John Dee and the famed Seer Nostradamus to see who can discover the most information first. Throughout everything, the other maids are determined to support Sophia any way they can, though they understand even less than she does. Sophia's story vastly differs from the narratives of the first book - the tone in this book has shifted to match Sophia's quiet and introspective nature, and quite a bit of the plot is devoted to her time in the spirit world. The spirit world, a realm previously unexplored, is described with the perfect amount of detail and explanation - enough to get an adequate picture of things, but not overbearing or overly descriptive. The balance between the spirit world and the human one is a bit disjointed and chaotic at times, but meant to parallel Sophia's overwhelmed confusion - an achievement more than adequately met and brilliantly pulled off. So much of Sophia's story takes place either in her head or among the spirits, so she never played much of a role in the previous novels (other than to occasionally offer cryptic advice); now that we get a glimpse inside her story, she might very well be the most fascinating maid of all.

Maid of Wonder is a fantastic read, perfect for those who enjoy historical fiction and court intrigue with a serving of the supernatural on the side.

Carolyn is a teen blogger who shares her favorite YA reads and favorite book related finds with readers on Fridays.

YA Friday Book Review: Daughter of Dusk

Daughter of Dusk
by Livia Blackburne
Disney-Hyperion (August 4, 2015)
Audience: Young Adult
IndieBound | WorldCat

Description from Goodreads:

"After learning the truth about her bloodlines, Kyra can’t help but feel like a monster.

Though she’s formed a tentative alliance with the Palace, Kyra must keep her identity a secret or risk being hunted like the rest of her Demon Rider kin. Tristam and the imprisoned assassin James are among the few who know about her heritage, but when Tristam reveals a heartbreaking secret of his own, Kyra’s not sure she can trust him. And with James’s fate in the hands of the palace, Kyra fears that he will give her away to save himself.

As tensions rise within Forge's Council, and vicious Demon Rider attacks continue in surrounding villages, Kyra knows she must do something to save her city. But she walks a dangerous line between opposing armies: will she be able to use her link to the Demon Riders for good, or will her Makvani blood prove to be deadly?

In this spellbinding sequel to Midnight Thief, Kyra and Tristam face their biggest battle yet as they grapple with changing allegiances, shocking deceit, and vengeful opponents."

Carolyn's thoughts on the book:

Midnight Thief was one of my favorite releases of 2014, so naturally I was pretty excited to read Daughter of Dusk.  After the events in the first book, I wasn't sure how this book would go - Midnight Thief had so many different elements: political intrigue, adventure, fantasy, friendship, romance, and I wasn't sure if the sequel would be able to weave those elements together just as brilliantly a second time around. But I had nothing to fear - Daughter of Dusk is an exceptionally fantastic book, not just as a sequel but on its own merits as well. Everything that was in the first book is there again, with the same writing and superb character development, but there is more, more of every element. Everything is deeper and more complex - Kyra's relationships (with Tristam, with the two orphan girls she takes care of, with the Makvani, and even her complicated and complex relationship with James); the political situation stretching into the past and far beyond the borders of Forge; and Kyra's character development as she grapples with her own identity and morality in the wake of tragedy and violence. This book is faster paced than its predecessor, almost a heightened intensity in response to the stakes being higher than ever before. The unique premise and multitude of differing elements makes the story never predictable or stagnant at any point, and Blackburne's choice to eschew the trilogy format in favor of two books works perfectly from a plot perspective as well as a character development perspective. While the ending may not be what some readers hope for, it ultimately does Kyra and the story justice by being authentic to the story. Overall, Daughter of Dusk is just as strong as Midnight Thief and a phenomenal read in its own right. 

Carolyn is a teen blogger who shares her favorite YA reads and favorite book related finds with readers on Fridays.