Shiver

Biblio Bits Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, Scholastic, 2009 (ISBN 9780545123266)

Reading Level/Interest Age 740 lexile/Ages 13+

Genre Supernatural, Horror, Romance

Plot Summary

Grace, age 17, is sort of raising herself: her mom is a self-absorbed artist and her dad is usually absent with his own work. Grace has two close friends and has a strong connection with the woods behind her house and the wolf pack who inhabits it. She was attacked by wolves the winter she was nine, pulled right out of her back yard, but a wolf with curious yellow eyes intervened and Grace survived. Since then, that special wolf has become a bit of an obsession for Grace: she watches for him and frequently catches glimpses of him, watching her from the edge of the woods. When a youth at her high school is viciously attacked by, what appears to be, the wolf pack, the townspeople stage a hunt to exterminate the wolves. Grace discovers her own wolf, in human form, badly hurt from a shot to his neck and takes him in. There is strong tension in the story, both romantic (Romeo and Juliet go paranormal!), and when a new werewolf is running wild in the community, without the rules or protection of the pack.

Critical Evaluation

This book received starred reviews from both School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, so I was prepared to be wowed by a book that is being touted as the "next Twilight." This one has more elements of horror, more actual gore as well as some pretty scary situations that involve suspense. The narrative alternates between Sam and Grace, which works to give the story some perspective. Clearly, Stiefvater has worked hard to create a seamless world in which lycanthropes have a place, and some of the details seemed perfect (explaining the mental differences that Sam experiences in his two forms) while others seemed a bit forced (the elaborate emphasis on the permanent change to wolf form). Somehow I just couldn't get emotionally engaged with Grace's character. Sam's character seemed much more accessible and fully-formed; I got a clear sense of the emotional angst and the haunting troubles of his past, as well as the challenges of pack life. For fans of the emotionally-charged, doomed, paranormal romance story, this will be a sure bet.

Reader's Annotation

In the mood for a tense story of first love gone terribly wrong? Grace and Sam know their moments together are numbered; Sam will be changing into wolf form for good this year, and Grace is just a regular girl.

Author Information

Maggie Stiefvater was born in 1981 and has worked as a waitress, calligraphy instructor, and technical editor. She describes her current life as "eccentric" and lives in Virginia with her husband and two children. She has a pretty snippy tone on her bio page regarding questions that she won't answer (if it's something she has already posted on her FAQ page) and adds that she likes "plain English" instead of text-speak when fans write emails to her. I certainly wouldn't write her a fan email after reading that sort of condescension, and I don't even know text-speak! (Information obtained from her bio page on her official website.)

Challenge issues

Lots of romantic tension here (Sam's sleeping in Grace's bed!), some very passionate scenes, but nothing too explicit. What was more disturbing is the image of Sam's parents who attempted to slit his wrists and kill him when they found out what he was. And there are some explicit moments of graphic violence.

Booktalking Ideas

Paranormal romance for teens is pretty much the order of the day, since Twilight, so there are plenty of booktalking bedfellows for this title. I might also include it in an Adrenaline Books booktalk, since that covers both horror and suspense.

Curriculum Ties

I would love to do a comparison of various representations of werewolves in teen literature, from Professor Lupin of Harry Potter fame to the "shifters" of Cynthia Leitich-Smith's books to Jacob from Twilight. Each author has a unique take on the parameters, powers, and limitations of lycanthropes.

Why this book?
Another book that falls into the "If you like Twilight..." category. I saw the cover as a full-page advertisement on the back cover of Horn Book, so I decided to see where the Meyer-inspired literary explosion is going.

Awards
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2009; Amazon's Top Ten Books for Teens.

Rockport Public Library owns?

No.

Eternal

Biblio Bits Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Candlewick Press 2009 (ISBN 9780763635732)

Reading Level/Interest Age Ages 14+

Genre Horror, Supernatural, Romance

Plot Summary

Miranda is having one of those days: tongue-tied during her try-out for Romeo and Juliet, laughed at by the popular girls, and then her secret crush gives his girlfriend a big kiss right in front of her. She's ready for a quiet night in with her friend Lucy to nurse her bruised ego. But Lucy has other plans: a trip to the graveyard to meet up with some cool, older boys. The creepy night is made scarier when the girls are separated in the graveyard; pretty soon it's clear there is menace nearby. What Miranda doesn't know is that she has a guardian angel on her side; just as she's about to take a fatal step, Zachary calls her name and shows his light-filled form. This is a big breach of the Rules and before he knows it, Miranda is gone and Zachary's having a stern talking to from the Angel Michael. He's punished, but not quite fallen. Meanwhile, Miranda is a neophyte vampire (excuse me, Eternal) princess, "living" outside of Chicago with the current reigning Dracula as his pet/daughter. Zachary's new mission leads him straight to the midwestern headquarters of the Eternals and back to Miranda. The two have a mutual attraction that seems impossible. Can Zachary save Miranda? Is there any soul there left to save? Does she even want saving?

Critical Evaluation

Told in chapters that alternate from Miranda's and Zachary's points of view, this book had many appeal factors: supernatural beings, romantic tension, and a glimpse into the vampire "good life." Smith's writing style is engaging: funny and glib, tautly descriptive, romantically tense (in a doomed Romeo and Juliet way), with references to popular culture (when Zachary is asked what he's doing, his answer: "I'm on a mission from God," clearly a reference to this movie). The pace is consistent, though the beginning had some slow parts. Readers may stumble, as I did, over certain turns of phrase and allusions to the supernatural world that I was unfamiliar with. Were the relationships between shifters (werebeings) and Eternals more fully explained in Tantalize (2007)? There were a few leaps of faith that Smith asked of readers, with regard to plot and details, such as the sentries that guard the castle. They take the form of wolves, but it seemed that they were Eternals in another guise. I wasn't clear about whether this was a form of punishment or an indication of their station in life. I also finished the book and didn't feel that certain details were worked out to my satisfaction; perhaps this means a sequel to come. These things aside, this would be a good recommendation for a bereft fan of the Twilight (Meyer) books.

Reader's Annotation

It's Romeo and Juliet all over again, except this time the two warring clans are Angels and Eternals. Will the love-struck beings find their way to eternal happiness?

Author Information

Cynthia Leitich Smith was born in Kansas City, MO. She has published works for children, teens, and adults. She teaches writing for children and young adults in the MFA writing program at Vermont College for Fine Arts. She has won awards for her works which often portray the lives of Native American children in a modern context. Smith is married to award-winning author Greg Leitich Smith and lives with him in Texas with their four cats. Smith is "a tribal member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation." (Information for this brief biography is from here and here.)

Challenge issues

Possible areas of challenge: sexual tension; violence; some swearing.

Booktalking Ideas

Another perfect one for that booktalk around Halloween or that booktalk called "If you liked Twilight, here's what you should read next." Of course the romantic themes could be a draw also, around Valentine's Day, to focus on stories of star-crossed lovers: Romeo and Juliet, Trouble (Schmidt, 2009), An Abundance of Katherines (Green, 2006) to name a few.

Curriculum Ties

Why this book?

Another one that has appeared on the "if you like Twilight..." lists and an author who was reviewed in a group presentation on the genre of horror for tweens for this class (LIBR 264-10).

Series/Sequel

This title is considered a companion book to Smith's "dark fantasy debut," Tantalize (2007).

Awards
Book of the month, Native America Calling; YALSA Teens Top Ten Nominee.

Rockport Public Library owns?

Yes.

City of Bones

Biblio Bits City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Margaret K. McElderberry Books, 2007 (ISBN 9781416914280)

Reading Level/Interest Age 740 lexile/age 14+

Genre Urban fantasy

Plot Summary

When Clary Fray starts seeing things that her friend Simon can't, that's the first tip-off that Clary's understanding of reality is about to expand in a major way. She's still trying to understand the murder she witnessed (that appeared to involve some fantastic beings), when Clary's mom, Jocelyn, leaves her a garbled message and disappears. Clary has never known her dad, who died in a fatal car accident when she was too little to remember him, so suddenly Clary is on her own. When one of the murderers shows up and offers to help Clary, she is as confused as ever, and pretty soon is on a race against time to solve the mystery that will save her mom, with the help of a few Shadowhunters and some Werewolves. Clary discovers that her own history is not what she thinks it is and that her mother kept some important secrets from her.

Critical Evaluation

This fast-paced urban adventure story is compelling. It appears on several lists that liken it to Twilight ( Meyer), and though it deals with supernatural beings and has a girl protagonist, it has many differences that readers who are expecting a Twilight-like read might be disappointed in. First, the pacing is brisk: this book is action-driven, not character-driven. In this way, I would liked it more to the Percy Jackson or Maximum Ride series, where practically every chapter has an element of surprise/danger. There are more relationships in this book to sort out and many more plot twists. Because of the larger cast of characters, some characters seem a bit one-dimensional and predictable. Again, with the pace at which the plot moved, there really wasn't time to get too deep with any one character except for the most central ones. Romance? Well, sort of. Definitely some romantic tension, but this gets complicated as the story unfolds. The fun part is the details like the vampire motorcycles that run on demon energies or the eccentric character of Magnus Bane, the warlock of Brooklyn. But there are a lot of holes in this fantasy world which makes it difficult to enter into the story fully, if you are a picky reader.

Reader's Annotation

A great romp through New York City's underworld of the supernatural, normally invisible to us "mundies" (short for mundanes), on a fast-paced adventure to keep the balance of good and evil in order, with many plot twists to keep you guessing!

Author Information

Cassandra Clare (pseudonym) was born in Tehran, Iran, and spent her childhood traveling with her parents to various places around the world. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles, where she also lived after college and worked as a writer for entertainment magazines and tabloids. Clare began writing this first installment of the Mortal Instruments series in 2004, and took inspiration from the city of New York for the setting. Clare has also written Harry Potter fan fiction, and gained attention for her extensive works in this genre. (Information for this author bio is from here and here.)

Challenge issues

Yes there are! The supernatural beings might be enough to give some readers pause, but there is definitely some language and swearing in this book that may be inappropriate for younger readers.

Booktalking Ideas

Supernatural beings...the unexplained...searching for your identity...urban fantasy...myths. These are all potential booktalking buddies for City of Bones. Maximum Ride (Patterson) would be a good companion here, particularly because of the female protagonist and the angelic themes. This book also has plenty of suspense and "creepy" so it could be a good one to promote around Halloween.

Curriculum Ties

Students could be asked to take one of the Downworld groups, (like vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc.), and flesh-out their cultures a bit more. Students could research cultural explanations of the supernatural group they choose and begin to build a world in present day New York for them. How would their history with Shadowhunters influence their alliances, survival, and leadership? Where would they hang out? What would their headquarters look like?

Why this book?

The Mortal Instruments series has appeared a few times on lists of "If you liked Twilight, you'll also like..." so I decided to try it and see what I thought.

Series/Sequel

Yes, this one is followed by City of Ashes and then City of Glass.

Awards
None.

Rockport Public Library owns?

Yes.