Love in a Dangerous Time: Eleanor & Park Review

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It’s been getting flawless reviews, but to be  honest I’ve just about had my fill of contemporary YA romances starring quirky, intelligent misfits. But what sold me on this book was the unique take on teenage obsession and the truly painful depiction of Eleanor’s home situation. 

Park doesn’t know how or when it happened exactly, but somehow he has fallen in love with the new girl, Eleanor. ‘Big Red,’ as she is referred to by most of the school, doesn’t seem to care about what she looks like or making friends with anyone. Eleanor is equally shocked at her intense affection for the beautiful half-Asian, comic-book reading boy on the bus. But despite their differences, their relationship escalates to surprising levels.

Eleanor is a non-traditional love interest. She wears old men’s clothes, is constantly described as big or fat, and in many cases is the more assertive half of the relationship. Park finds innumerable ways to describe Eleanor’s colouring, particularly her red hair, which I loved. Park is also an unlikely male romantic lead. Eleanor describes him as beautiful, almost feminine. I like how the author Rainbow Rowell subverts traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity.

The contrast between Eleanor and Park’s families was fascinating and will be eye-opening for teen readers. I loved the scenes with Park’s family. His parents are dopey in love, even after a number of years. His father, an army man, has some difficulty with Park’s experimentation with punk makeup, but he loves his son and is very supportive of Eleanor. His mother, a Korean immigrant who runs a beauty salon out of their garage, is slow to warm to Eleanor but when she does she embraces her warmly.

Eleanor’s family situation is full of silences, rushed private moments, and fear. She shares a cramped room with three younger siblings who seem to be warming to their monster of a step-dad out of preservation. I truly despised Eleanor’s mother, who has trapped her family in a dangerous family situation with volatile, drunken, violent Richie. In addition to her home situation, Eleanor suffers at the ends of a number of school bullies. I won’t go into the details here, only mention that it is girl on girl crime and makes the reader’s stomach turn.

The book escalates to a point where Eleanor must make a hard choice, and the last few chapters are addictive and adrenalin soaked and I found myself rushing through them, wishing for the best and the impossible. The last few words are open to interpretation, and the internet is a-buzz with speculation about just WHAT is on that postcard.

This is a rich, surprising, and satisfying novel of love, escape, and hope. Eleanor & Park is available now in hard cover.

The Recipe for a Perfect Summer Novel

We are now three weeks away from the launch of my new book, Summer Days, Starry Nights- an ode to summer, the 1960s, and friendship- three of my favourite things! I thought I’d answer some basic questions here to get people excited.

Q: Why the 1960s?

Carole King in 1962

A: I love the 1960s, particularly the music. For the first time, women were singing songs that other women could relate to. I read Girls Like Us, an amazing in-depth triple biography of Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon and Girl Groups, Girl Culture, a great book about popular music in the 1960s, which helped flesh out what was going on with women, music, and social change during the time period.

Music and identity play big roles in Summer Days, Starry Nights. Both Gwen, mysterious wayward ballerina, and Reenie, dependable country girl and a classic middle child, are trying to figure out who they are and what their place in the world is. Gwen introduces Reenie to girl bands like The Shirelles, The Crystals, and The Chantels. It seemed natural to set a coming of age story at a time where the whole world was coming of age.

Q: Is the resort Sandy Shores based on a real place?

A: When I was young my family spent a number of summers at a resort near Orillia, Ontario called Lake Dalrymple Resort. I have fond memories of the resort, and the layout of Sandy Shores is based on the layout of this resort, more or less. Of course I changed things to suit the plot, which is one of my favourite elements of fiction writing.

Q: What inspired the book?

A: The name Reenie Starr came to me first. I started to think about who this Reenie Starr was, how she did or did not live up to her name. I gave her two siblings, Scarlett and Bo, and then I wondered who would name their children after movie stars and lo and behold their mother- a woman who prefers to be called Mimi, not Mama- was born.

Margaret Langrick in My American Cousin

I also wanted to write a summer book and for me summer is always connected to the 1960s, probably because of movies like Dirty Dancing, My American Cousin, The Man in the Moon, and A Walk on the Moon. I remembered how much I loved the resort on Lake Dalrymple and how as a kid I thought it would be absolute heaven to live there all year. So through the magic of fiction I got to experience that by having my protagonist live on a summer resort.

Anna Paquin in A Walk on the Moon

I had a lot of fun (and spent a LOT of time) creating and seeking out inspirational playlists, like this one from songza. You can check out some of my inspirational images, girl groups, etc on the Summer Days, Starry Nights pinterest board here.

Toronto friends I hope you’ll join me at 3030 on May 28th for the launch. I will also be making appearances in Woodstock, London, Brampton, Erin Mills, Creemore and Orillia in the next two months- stay tuned for dates.  Remember you can pre-0rder on Amazon, Indigo, or at your local bookstore. 

The Passage for Kids: The Fifth Wave Review

Those of you who have heard me say ‘I don’t really read much sci-fi or fantasy’ probably have a hard time believing me given the number of speculative books I’ve reviewed recently. The truth is I LOVE a well told fantasy or sci-fi novel, I’m just EXTREMELY picky about what I read. The Fifth Wave is is one of better ones. If you’re looking for a fast-paced survival story with a touch of sci-fi, this should be your go-to summer read (in addition to Summer Days, Starry Nights of course).

Despite being a standalone book, The Fifth Wave has the scope, range of characters, and the same taught tension as Justin Cronin’s best-selling The Passage. We are introduced to Cassie, sixteen, paranoid and alone, hiding from an unknown alien foe in the woods. Cassie tells us about the previous waves of invasion and how quickly earth’s population has been decimated in a matter of months. Next we meet Ben, a schoolmate of Cassie’s who has been recruited by a covert military operation who are training children to become ultimate alien-killing machines, a la Ender’s Game.

The teens in this novel are up against some pretty serious odds. Parts of the book are vivid and brutal, including Cassie coming upon a dying soldier in an abandoned convenience store, and scenes of cruelty involving a rather sadistic commander and his child soldiers. It’s not gratuitous and helps build up the characters of Ben and Cassie, but it may be hard for some younger readers to stomach.

The strongest part of the novel is how plausible it all felt. I like my sci-fi near-fetched, as opposed to far-fetched. Rick Yancey‘s ‘waves’ of invasion feel frighteningly possible: power outage, natural disasters, viral outbreak, etc. I don’t want to give too much away because the joy of reading this novel is having it unravel as you get deeper into the story. There is a moment when Cassie, who is the character we spend the most time with and grow the closes too, mentions her few possessions, one of which is a box of tampons. YES. Even when on the run from unseen alien invaders, a girl needs tampons. I wish more survival novels acknowledged the necessities of life.

At times The Fifth Wave dips into melodrama in the form of some teen angst and relationships, but I appreciated how Yancey acknowledges that even in the middle of an apocalypse, teens are going to have feelings, much like the teen angst that rears its head in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Overall I could not get enough of this well-paced, suspenseful read. Yancey is an accomplished storyteller who reels you in from the very beginning. This book feels tailor-made for adaptation, perhaps as a miniseries. This is one of those rare books that appeals to both male and female readers, and fans of The Passage, Ender’s Game, The Hunger Games and well-told survival narratives with eat this one up.

The Fifth Wave will be available from Penguin Canada on May 7th.

Gold and Gators: The Girl From Felony Bay Review

There is nothing more comforting to read than a classic middle grade novel. After the death of my family cat (RIP dear Cocoa, almost 20), I was in need of some serious comfort reading. Something about the setting and situation of The Girl From Felony Bay reminded me of The Rescuers, a wonderful but often overlooked Disney classic loosely based on a fantastic children’s novel by Margery Sharpe.  Minus the talking mice, of course.

Abbey knows her beloved father did not steal an old woman’s jewels. But since he is in a coma after a mysterious fall, he can’t exactly defend himself. Now Abbey lives with her mean Uncle Charlie and his equally sour wife, Ruth. It is clear she is not wanted, let alone loved. So Abbey seeks solace on the grounds of her old home, a sprawling plantation, looking after the horses. Here she meets the daughter of the new owners, Bee, who despite being friendly and up for almost anything, is clearly hiding a sad secret of her own. The two girls team up to prove that Abbey’s father is innocent, uncovering a number of surprises along the way.

J.E. Thompson’s style seems effortless. Clear, rich and effective storytelling but with enough character flavour and detail to make the book memorable. He has crafted the perfect setting for a middle grade novel, a sprawling estate full of secret paths, gators, and possible hidden treasure. Without leaving the property, Abbey has enough to keep her engaged and busy all summer. With the exceptions of a few scenes, most of the action takes place in and around the plantation, which is becoming more rare in children’s books. A writer must be confident and extremely accomplished at world building to rely on one basic set.

I loved the friendship between Bee and Abbey, which is considerate and helps both girls  heal from their past tragedies.  Bee’s Grandmother belongs to the middle grade trope of a wise old woman who seems stern but has a heart of gold  and also happens to cook up delicious and wholesome food. Uncle Charlie is fairly un-redeemable (he has little to no qualms about murdering children), but I like how Thompson doesn’t feel the need to go too much into his backstory to explain his behaviour. He is a true villain- sometimes I think we need to let villains be villains.

I also loved the inclusion of the plantation’s history and how Thompson handles the delicate issues of race, slavery, and ownership. Like Abbey, Bee’s last name is also Force, which suggests that her ancestors were one slaves of Abbey’s ancestors and took on their name when they were freed.  Although this novel is not about race, history and racism pop up from time to time in a way that feels natural and is well-handled.

This book has the feel of a classic. I could read it now, ten years ago or ten years from now and it would not feel dated. A great summer read for fans of traditional mysteries or novels with a southern setting.

The Girl From Felony Bay will be available in hard cover from HarperCollins Canada on April 30th.

Summer Days, Starry Nights Toronto Launch: Party Like it’s 1962!

It’s party time! If you’re in the Toronto area on Tuesday, May 28th come celebrate the launch of SUMMER DAYS, STARRY NIGHTS with me at one of my favourite Junction hotspots, 3030.

Starting at 7pm, this is an all ages event and will feature a reading by yours truly and a performance by the amazing Miranda Mulholland, of Great Lake Swimmers and Belle Starr fame. Miranda is also an accomplished solo artist and I could not be more thrilled that she is sharing this night with me. Also, look at her wicked hair:

When Miranda is not singing, expect a great mix of late 1950s and early 1960s vinyl, perfect for dancing! This is not a costume party, but if you come dressed in 60′s attire you will earn my undying respect and devotion. Books will be sold by Toronto institution Mabel’s Fables and I will be happy to sign one for you, your niece, your grandmother, or anyone else you’d like to give a first edition signed copy to!

Located at High Park and Dundas West, 3030 is easily accessible by TTC (walk north from High Park station or take the 40 bus from Dundas West Station) and there is a Green P parking lot nearby (south of Dundas West, between Pacific and Medland) for those who will be driving.

Can’t wait to see you! Bring your dancing shoes and we will party like it’s 1962!

For those of you outside the GTA area I will also be doing events in Woodstock, Brampton, Erin Mills, Creemore, Orillia and London. Schedule coming soon!

Introducing the Cairn Adult Writers’ Retreat

One of the things I hear most often from fellow writers is, ‘If only I could get away and just write.’ As a writer with a full-time job and limited time, I completely understand this sentiment. Sometimes you need a few days to jumpstart a new manuscript or take the time to overhaul an old one. I would love to go to a fancy-schmancy writer’s retreat, but finances and scheduling make it difficult for me.

So I decided to do something about it.

Thus the Cairn Adult Writers’ Retreat was born! Our first retreat will be held June 9-12th. Come join us for two and a half days of writing time. If peer work-shopping is your bag, there will be a few time slots each day devoted to critiquing. Otherwise the time is yours to write, revise, and brainstorm among fellow writers. Cairn is located minutes away from Baysville, Ontario on a private lake. It’s secluded, quiet, and run by friendly staff who will be there to feed you three times a day and assist you with canoes, rock climbing, and other activities in your non-writing hours.

This retreat is fairly unstructured and is best suited to those writers who are self-directed. There will be plenty of opportunities to socialize at meals, nightly campfires, on the private beach, or at the local pub. Cairn is a fairly rustic camp, so come prepared to sleep in cabins, share a bathroom, and leave the amenities of urban life behind.

If all things go well, this could expand into a yearly program. I for one am hoping we can expand into the fall, as there is nothing more beautiful than Muskoka trees in all their autumnal beauty.

Interested writers of any genre should visit the website and register now! You do not need to be published/produced to attend- writers of all levels are welcome.

Perfectly Creepy: Doll Bones Review

I don’t know what it is about dolls, but they are the perfect subject for creepy stories. One of my favourite scary stories is The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Wren Wright, which I recommended on Bookish Notions last Halloween . Doll Bones is a rare breed, a true cross-genre tale with both literary and commercial appeal.

Zach, Poppy and Alice have created a fantastic, elaborate game involving dolls, pirates, mermaids and other worlds. Despite their differences, the game binds them together, that is until puberty kicks in and suddenly they find themselves with doubts, new allegiances, and their friendships hanging in the balance.

Warning, this review contains spoilers!

This is a fantastic blend of creepy and poignant, as only Holly Black can do. I love the double-barreled plot, with the story of The Queen and putting her to rest mirroring the story of the trio’s friendship. This gives the story some depth, so readers who don’t gravitate towards ghost stories have a more traditional contemporary friendship story to hook them, and those who read only scary stories have something a bit meatier to read. This blend of ghost story and contemporary real-world conflict is very similar to the structure of The Doll House Murders, an is one of the reasons I love that book, as well.

‘The Queen,’ perfectly captured by the cover art of Eliza Wheeler, is of course not JUST a doll, but is made from the ground bones of a child who died tragically. The reader is unsure if it is The Queen making the children do things, or if the children are using The Queen as an excuse to act. The uncanny qualities of The Queen truly set the story apart from other ghost stories.

There is a very industrial, lower-income feel to the setting. During their journey, the villages the trio pass through are full of abandoned businesses and homes and the people are down on their luck. None of the children are wealthy and there are a variety of non-nuclear family situations. Zach’s dad has returned after abandoning him and his mother for three years, Alice lives with her strict Filipina grandmother, and Poppy is one of a large family, her brothers often getting into trouble with the law. The game is made up of toys from found objects and toys from goodwill. There is something very contemporary and authentic about Black’s setting and her characters, it feels as though it has been informed by the recent recession and it’s effects on the average American family.

Betsy Bird at Fuse #8 did an excellent review of this book, describing it as ” what would happen if R.L. Stine ever wrote a Newbery quality horror book for kids.” I will be curious to see how award committees react to this book. It has a lot of kid appeal and is on one hand, a ghost story. But the richness of characters and the authenticity with how Black portrays the growing pains of friendship during puberty sets it apart. The most uncomfortable bits are not the scary parts, but when the friends talk about each other behind their backs, deal with crushes, or secret notes. Doll Bones walks many different lines (genres, commercial vs literaty) and is yet another feather in the highly decorated cap of Holly Black.

Doll Bones will be available in May from Simon and Schuster Canada.

New Book Announcement: SUMMER DAYS, STARRY NIGHTS

I am thrilled to announce a new book, Summer Days, Starry Nights, due out June 1st! This is my love letter to summer, the 1960s, and growing up. Pretty much all of my favourite bookish things in one novel! I am beyond thrilled with this gorgeous cover, which captures the essence of the novel beautifully.

Summer Days, Starry Nights is the story of 14 year old Reenie Starr, who loves her family’s summer resort, Sandy Shores, more than anything else on earth. The resort falls on hard times the summer of 1962, so the Starrs decide to hire a young dancer from the city to come up and run an entertainment program. When 17 year old Gwendolyn Cates arrives, Reenie is starstruck by her glamorous looks and exciting lifestyle. But Gwendolyn is not exactly who she seems to be, and her arrival sets off a series of events that will change Reenie’s life forever.

Hmm, you’re thinking. That sounds kind of like the movie Dirty Dancing.

I have been known to describe the book as ‘Dirty Dancing without the Dirty.’ There are some similarities in that it takes place on a summer resort during the same time period and is very much about the music and culture of the 1960s, however Reenie is significantly younger than Baby (aka Frances) and Summer Days, Starry Nights is more about friendship and family than romance. But there is some romance. And secret letters. And missing persons. And campfires. And late night dance parties…

Summer Days, Starry Nights will be available in June, 2013. Just in time for summer reading! You can pre-order on Amazon, Indigo, or visit your local bookstore. I will also be throwing a super-fun 60s style launch party in Toronto, which you are all invited to! More details to come.

I can’t wait to share this book with you!

 

Meet the FitzOsbornes, The Crawleys of YA: FitzOzbornes in Exile Review

Downton Abbey fans you need to be reading this series! The FitzOzbornes in Exile is the second in an unique YA trilogy about a group of young royals from a fictional island nation off the coast of France in the 1930s and early 1940s. Told in diary form from the perspective of sensitive and observant Princess Sophia, it has a distinctly Downtown-esque vibe and is the kind of YA adults of all ages can also (thoroughly) enjoy, which is why I included the series in my Top Ten Under-Sung Series post .I am so thankful for Shelf Elf, who loves this series and convinced me to read it.

Warning! This review contains some spoilers.

After narrowly escaping the bombing of their beloved home by Nazis, the FitzOsbornes are thrown into society life, Sophie and Veronica preparing for the first season in London. Sophie is thrilled at first, but the presence of Veronica’s would-be-assassin Rebecca, the arrival of orphaned Basque children, and trouble brewing in Europe keep her attentions divided.

Author Michelle Cooper seamlessly weaves the fabricated history of Montmaray with real historical events and people to the point where I found myself thinking wait, IS there such a place as Montmaray? Is my memory of world geography just that bad? But no, there are helpful notes in both books that clarify what is true and what is fictional. Veronica, a ferocious feminist and loyal subject and one of my favourite YA characters, is forever immersed in history and politics and I found myself enjoying her political debates with Simon Chester, illegitimate son of the King and her chief rival. I don’t normally go in for heated political debates about Spanish history and communism versus fascism  but Cooper imbues her characters with such passion and clarity of speech that one can’t help but be equally fascinated.

It is gratifying to see how Sophia matures, getting over a girlish crush on Simon and taking interest in a quiet young aspiring veterinarian, having her first piece of writing published. and coming to Veronica’s rescue in innumerable ways. Veronica is a formidable character but instead of standing in her shadow, Sophia is finally learning to stand apart while still loving and admiring her cousin. She learns a few hard lessons about love and marriage, and this book is particularly feminist in its approach to women’s issues and politics, but in a way that seems plausible. At the end of the book both Veronica and Sophie have amazing, character-defining moments that made me want to stand up and cheer. Alas I was reading in my office and despite working in publishing that sort of thing is generally frowned upon.

I am fascinated by how Sophia approaches and accepts her brother Toby’s preference for men, which feels progressive for the time and yet is a bit reserved in a way that seems natural. In fact she approached all matters of sex and relationships with this curious open-mindedness that is refreshing and distinctly contemporary.

The language is this book is period without feeling complex or too flowery and even in dire situations there is so much hope and humour in Sophia’s voice that you are laughing in life or death situations. How does the author do this? Genius, methinks. Veronica and Aunt Charlotte, who reminds me very much of the Dowager Countess, have some fantastic one-liners.

This book is heavier on the politics than the first, which makes sense as it leads into WWII, but it also features a number of assassination attempts, a few parties featuring some amazing dresses and jewels, a bit of mystery, and a cross-country train race that elevate the series even more. Fans of historical fiction,war novels, and books such as Code Name Verity, Anne of Green Gables or I Capture the Castle will eat this series up. I cannot wait to see what Cooper does in The FitzOsbornes at War. I have a feeling no matter what happens, I will be sobbing at the end.

Hey BBC, miniseries please?!

The FitzOsbornes in Exile is available now in paperback.

Signing and Writing Workshop at Chapters Waterloo

I’ll be at Chapters Waterloo this Saturday at 1pm to talk about my books, the writing process, and prove that anyone- yes, anyone- has what it takes to start a story. This event is free and would be perfect for young readers and writers ages 8-15, and any adults who are young at heart.

I will also be signing, so even if you’re not interested in the workshop I’d be happy to sign a copy (or two) for you, your niece, your grandmother, or whoever else in your life appreciates a fun Canadian story!

See you there!