Capetta, Amy Rose. Echo After Echo.

Capetta, Amy Rose. Echo After Echo. Candlewick Press     2017 421p $17.99  ISBN 978-0-7636-9164-6  hs/adult  Mysery/Suspense  E-BN         

Zara knows she is meant to be on stage. In her senior year of high school, she lands the leading role of Echo in the off-Broadway Greek tragedy Echo and Ariston. The writing is exquisitely filled with imagery of the theater, from the soft folds and smell of the curtain to the cluttered prop storage rooms, from the sparse costume design rooms to the dark spaces in the catwalks. Her first trip inside the theater finds her with a dead body on her hands and the curse of the Aurelia seems to be coming to life -- three deaths will occur before opening night. The lecherous director intimidates her, and the lead actor, a famous teen star portraying Ariston, is himself a puzzle. She finds herself falling in love, not with Ariston, but with Eli, the lighting director. Her confidence soon fades as she wonders if she is in over her head, with her life possibly in danger. The taut suspense waiting for the next death and the clues to the identity of the real killer will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last few pages. For any fan of theater, this book will have special appeal. Relationships among the actors and those behind the scenes complicate both the love story and the mystery.  For any mystery or theater lover, this is a must read. Riveting reading.   

A must-purchase for high-school libraries, especially where theater has a strong presence. For mystery lovers, the twists and turns will surprise even the most veteran sleuth of a reader.  

Summary: Zara lands a leading part in an off-Broadway Greek tragedy and her confidence diminishes under the tutelage of a harsh lecher of a director. The curse of the Aurelia Theater comes to life as people die. Outstanding imagery, taut suspense. Gr 9+

Romance-Fiction, Theater-Fiction                   --Lois McNicol

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Allen, Sarah Addison. The Girl Who Chased the Moon
Bantam see Random 2010 269p 25.00
978-0-553-80721-9 hs/adult Fantasy VG
Emily moves in with the grandfather she never knew after her mother’s death. Secrets spill out including the suicide Emily’s mother was blamed for, the reason why a family stays inside after dark, and an unknown teen pregnancy. For older teens and adults.
The cast of characters seems overwhelming at first but as the novel progresses, the reader realizes all the story lines intertwine. After Emily’s mother’s death, Emily goes to live with a grandfather she has never visited. This eight foot giant of a man has quirks as do members of the local small town community. Magical lights at night are caused by Win, the nephew of a man whose suicide has been blamed on Emily’s mother, who glows with a warm embracing light when moonlight hits him. The attraction between Emily and Win raise the hackles of the community. A neighbor, Julia, has returned to the small town she left as a teenager to run her father’s restaurant. Julia confronts the now grown man who got her pregnant in high school. As Julia’s secrets are revealed, her baking skills draw in the community. A hot steamy love scene between Julia and her now grown teenage love may limit this book to grades 10 and up. Adults who like fantasy based in reality will also be drawn to this book. Grab a piece of cake and settle into the magical world of Mullaby and be startled yet reassured that the secrets will all sort themselves out. The cover features a dark haired young lady that words describe as Julia, but actually seems more to be Emily from the pose - part of the intentional magical confusion? A magical read about needing to be accepted for who you are! Recommended where books about fantasy based in reality are popular. The characters are quirky and numerous, but the story line hooks the reader. Page 183 has a grammar problem: “Emily was beginning understand”. McNicol,Lois
Fantasy

The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor & The Bogus Identity

Carey, Mike & Peter Gross. The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor & The Bogus Identity
DC Comics 2010 unp 9.99
978-1-4012-2565-0 hs/adult Graphic novel E
Tom, the son of a fantasy writer, is a media celebrity since his father disappeared. Tom wonders if he is really his father’s son. And, who is the villain capturing the minds and pens of famous writers? What a teaser to the rest of the series! Rated R for language.
Outstanding art work mirrors the questions raised in this first book of five episodes about Tommy Taylor, a fictional character in a fantasy novel. The fictional character is said to be based on Tom Wilson, the son of the author who has disappeared. Tom’s real life celebrity status is starting to wane and he is concerned for the future. A villain appears at a writer’s conference housed in the mansion where Shelley received inspiration and where Tom’s father kept a secret room. This villain appears to control the minds and pens of famous writers as far back as Milton, Kipling,and Shelley. Could Tom be the one to resolve his father’s suspicions about stories written around the world having a connection? Fiction and reality collide and interweave elements of fantasy (unicorns and a winged cat who is a familiar to Tom) and literary allusions. The details in the drawings offer insight beyond mere words. Sometimes there is quirky humor attached as in the news ticker that runs at the bottom of the DNN headline news. Also included are web pages, newspaper stories, maps, blogs, and other visuals that make the reader turn into a sleuth finding clues in words as well as pictures. Outstanding visuals and writing will make the reader clamor for more. A caution for school libraries - pervasive crude language. For grades 10+.
Recommended for public libraries as this book contains a mystery story coupled with literary references and philosophical statements. A thinking person’s first choice for a graphic novel. Outstanding art work that goes beyond the written word. Grades 10+. McNicol(3),Lois
Mystery

Bender, Aimee The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

Bender, Aimee The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Doubleday see Random 2010 292p 25.95
978-0-385-50112-5 hs/adult VG
This novel follows Rose from age nine to adulthood. Rose can feel the emotions of the people who have made the food she eats. This gift or curse directs her life as she learns more than she wants to know about her dysfunctional family and the sadness of their lives. This novel, set in Los Angeles, follows Rose from age nine to adulthood. At the age of nine, she discovers that she is able to feel the emotions of the people who have made the food she eats. She learns that her mother is unhappy in their dysfunctional family and Rose can sense her mother’s affair. Rose’s older brother, Joseph, seems to have Asberger’s syndrome, a type of high functioning autism, yet this is never actually labeled in the book. Joseph eventually disappears under weird circumstances and Rose is the only one who knows how and what has happened. Rose ultimately learns that her brother and father, as well as the grandfather she never knew also had gifts or rather curses like she does, but she accepts them, faults and all. The characters are richly drawn, especially Joseph’s best friend George, whom Rose adores. The story meanders through Rose’s life as she reaches adulthood and one never knows what is real and what is part of Rose’s neuroses. This title concludes with a charming yet haunting ending that leaves the reader wondering what has been revealed. The writing is fluid and insightful.
This book might interest readers who like books by Alice Hoffman and will be a very good addition to high school libraries. Weinraub(2), Tina

Marchetta, Melina Finnikin of the Rock

Marchetta, Melina Finnikin of the Rock
Candlewick Press 2010 399 18.99
978-0-7636-4361-4 hs/adult Fantasy VG-BN

Finnikin champions Evangelin when Sir Topher convinces him that she can lead them to the rightful heir of Lumatere.
Originally released in Australia, Melina Marchetta’s first fantasy effort has found its way to the United States. “Finnikin of the Rock” as is wide departure from Marchetta’s earlier teen novels. It has all the elements of a good fantasy story: a detailed world, a quest to save the kingdom, a love story, a cast of well-rounded, interesting characters with compelling back stories, and magic.

An imposter king’s brutality leads to a curse that makes Lumatere’s borders impenetrable and splits the nation’s people between refugees who escaped outside the kingdom, and citizens trapped inside the kingdom. No one is sure if any of the members of the royal family escaped the savage slaughter. Enter 19-year-old Finnikin -- who has scoured the land of Skuldenore for ten years, seeking to find a new homeland for the displaced people of Lumatere -- scattered across diverse nations. He is apprenticed to the former First Man to the kingdom, Sir Topher, who convinces Finnikin to carry out the schemes of Evangelin, a fey young woman with a murky past who claims she can lead them to the rightful heir of Lumatere.

“Finnikin of the Rock” is an adult novel with teen appeal (particularly when reading the vivid descriptions of inhumane actions conquerors inflict on the conquered or the cruelty inflicted on refugees; there are also several references to sex/scenes involving sex – which may make this novel unsuitable for younger teens). At 401 pages, the length of the novel may intimidate some teen readers; perhaps the novel should have been split into a series. But the book has heart and humor which more than offset the darker passages. Marchetta has a gift for creating three-dimensional characters that are authentic, memorable and complex. The initial pace is a bit slow, and may put off some readers, but the ending –clichéd and predictable as it is – will satisfy. There is no sugar-coating the themes of war, genocide, exile, and violence against women. But there is also loyalty, trust, love, and faith. These, and the brighter themes of an epic love and staying faithful to yourself and your dreams, shine through, and are sure to ring true with teen readers.

Melina Marchetta was the recipient of the ALA Printz award for the novel, “Jellicoe Road.” “Finnikin of the Rock” received the Aurealis Award (Australia) for Best Young Adult Novel, and the Australian Book Industry Award for Book of the Year for Older Children.
Despite war violence and some sexual situations, “Finnikin of the Rock,” even though it is a fantasy novel, is a fine springboard for discussion of the experiences of refugees in the aftermath of war. Welliver(3), Hilary

Beals, Katharine. Raising a Left-Brain Child in a Right-Brain World.

Beals, Katharine. Raising a Left-Brain Child in a Right-Brain World.
Random House/Knopf/Anchor/Three Rivers 2009 232 16.95 978-1-5903-0650-5 adult

Presents a case for accommodating socially awkward students who may just have an unexpected learning style. According to the author, these children generally will not perform well in the current collaborative social classroom setting. She presents strategies for parents to help adjust their learning environment and strengthen skills at home. Using multiple case studies the author gives examples of children who present as different from the norm in their social awkwardness and need for strict sequencing in their learning environment. She further claims that current educational reform with its emphasis on right-brain skills and collaborative projects interferes with the ability for these children to display their sometimes gifted abilities.
Within the label of left-brain children, the author also includes those with Nonverbal Learning Disabilities, high-functioning autistic children and those with Asperger’s Syndrome in addition to those that are very analytical. Not only do these left brained students achieve more in school with direct instruction, forcing them into groups and collaborative projects can cause mental and emotional distress to them.
Left brain children tend to be introverted, concrete thinkers and are unwilling to share personal information so shun the activities that require intimate personal response. They will not be comfortable if they are expected to connect what they learn to themselves. Finally,it is ironic that as much as vow to support individuality we really are a society that, “values social skills over academic accomplishment, extroversion over introversion, and group cooperation over individual accomplishment.”(5)
The author is highly critical of current curriculum trends particularly as they manifest in math and science. Also, in her opinion, there is too wide and somewhat vague description of personality types that are now considered a disorder. According to her research, in 1958 the total number of school counselors was 12 Thousand and school psychologists were rare in public schools. Today there are over ninety thousand counselors and thirty-five thousand psychologists in the public schools(30).
The strength of this book lies in the advice to parents on how to advocate for the child at school as well as strategies for working on some of the social issues.
Spadaro, Trish