REVIEW: CRASH AND BURN

Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I stayed up kind of late to finish this book, because I had to finish it fast. It was heavy. Obviously, I mean it deals with an almost school shooting incident, as well as a lot of other issues that, as a kid in today's world you would encounter. I was impressed with the narrative style--brilliant writing, perfectly capturing the ADHD nature of Crash and his world. I appreciated how the writing totally opened a window on kids dealing with ADD/ADHD--and not that I have it myself, but I've worked with kids that do--and I feel he portrayed it pretty accurately, and because of that it's revelatory and eye-opening. Everything from the paranoia, anxiety, difficulty learning or focusing to the need to move physically is spot on. Also, switching back and forth between present and past was also a narrative move that worked well.

I skipped some parts, because the content was a little much for me. I liked the parts where he talks about things other than than just smoking and drinking and getting with girls--those other parts (mostly with Burn) were more formative and definitive for his character and the story, I think. Really, if some of those partying scenes were cut out, I think the book would be shorter and better. It was definitely on the long side--but I feel like some of that length was needed in order to build up the characters and the story so you would understand, and really feel, the moment in the school between Burn and Crash that everything leads up to. I just think a few less (filler) scenes of him smoking/drinking/getting with girls would have been nice and wouldn't have taken away from the story.

And wow, this book is intense. Not just because of the culminating moment, but really a lot of other moments that lead up to it, and that make your heart hurt for some of these characters. Certain scenes are just wonderfully plotted and achingly intense. The male point of view is also perfectly done--I haven't seen a book from the boy's POV done so well in a long time. So I go back and forth--it's such a long book with some content that I would have a hard time recommending to some audiences, but on the other hand, it's a perfect picture of today's teenage boy. The issues it addresses (mental health, 9/11, school shootings, education, etc) are so incredibly present. It's got a lot of appeal because of the narrator, and I really enjoyed getting into those issues with Crash. Plus, it's got some pretty great nineties nostalgia going on. So really, I don't think this is a book to be missed--for the YA audience or for adults.

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REVIEW: NEVER FALL DOWN

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Intense and eye-opening.

Have you ever read a book that was hard to read? Not because of the long words or complex sentences, but because of what it was about? This was one of those. It's based on the true story of Arn Chorn-Pond, a young boy during the genocide in Cambodia. At the hands of the Khmer Rouge, Arn is forced away from his home, separated from his family, starved, worked almost to death, made a child-soldier and forced to do many other horrific things. This book shows a raw, close-up look at the horrors of the killing fields and of war through the eyes of a young boy-- and those are not easy, light-hearted things--so trust me when I say that this book is intense. And eye opening.

But don't you think that it's good to read hard topics sometimes? I know that I feel incredibly grateful for what I have after reading this. I feel that, even though it was hard for me to even read the terrible things that Arn went through--so hard sometimes I had to put the book down and shake my head for a second before I could continue--I feel that it was a valuable experience for me. I believe that the power of the writing that opens your eyes and makes you hurt and maybe even cry or get angry at the injustice of it all is worth it. In this book that power came from the voice of the main character, which was written to resemble the way a person talks when they're learning English- so some bad grammar and almost no use of plurals--and that was what did the trick. Arn's voice comes in through the writing and makes the experiences have that much more impact on the reader.

While I think that everyone should read eye-opening books every so often, I think that Never Fall Down would be a great one for guy readers. The perspective of Arn makes it more relatable and the subject matter makes it incredibly interesting. The story flow is also quite fast (but not too fast), and so it's easy to get into.

And I love how the theme of Never Fall Down was repeated throughout. You can't help but be incredibly impressed by Arn, his unfailing spirit and generosity.

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Revolver

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The best YA I've read in a while! You can't help but admire the writing- sparse but full of action and tension. But I also got really caught up in the story. It's just so fascinating. I loved learning more about the time period--in an indirect way--but also the characters were so captivating and unique that I was interested the whole time. It also feels like it has wider significance--morals that you can pull from the action other than the ones that are more overt. I really enjoy reading books where you can gradually see the puzzle pieces fit together to create a masterful narrative, and seeing where those pieces fit in was part of the excitement of this book.

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The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I felt like this book was a mix of Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, and Ender's Game. Made things kind of interesting. Definitely a dynamic story that you will get caught up in, although it might take you getting used to the constant annoying questions the main character asks at the beginning. The plot and idea behind the story was pretty exciting and intriguing, especially since you don't get background information up front--it's kind of learned along the way. The made-up vocabulary was an interesting touch to put on it . . . still not sure if I liked it. I also wish i would have seen more character development and uniqueness--sometimes that felt a little flat. But overall, a really great read. I finished it in one sitting, and tons of my male students LOVE it (maybe b/c it's lighter on the romance side than, say, Hunger Games). And it's a cliffhanger, people, so you gotta read the next one!

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bikes + suspense = can't put it down!

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
SUCH a great book. I love riding anyway, and this just felt like a great adventure. Who doesn't think that it would fun to ride your bike across the country, seeing the world? (besides having sore leg muscles the whole time . . .)I also loved the relationship between Chris and Win. It was written so well- particularly with the flashbacks every other chapter. I like how that was done, because we get more insight into the characters and the way they think. Their relationship feels very real. The mystery and suspense aspect was great as well- i could hardly wait to find out what happened. p.s. a shout out to Cat for recommending this to me! (and letting me borrow it . . .)

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monster of a good read . . .

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars I flew through this book- it's not hard to read and it's not too long and it is incredible!! somewhat depressing at the same time though, because of the situation in which the main character is placed (in prison, at a murder trial). but his character as portrayed through his short diary entries and his perspective of the "movie of the experience" (in which format the book is written) is one that inspires trust and hope. This book is excellently written. I love that the author inspires and invites the reader to examine the decisions that the main character made, or failed to make. This book is excellent and I highly recommend it. View all my reviews >>

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