Cheng, Andrea. Where Do You Stay?

Cheng, Andrea.  Where Do You Stay?      

Boyd's Mill     2011  134p    17.95    978-1-59078-707-6

 elm/ms      Realistic Fiction       VG    

“Eleven-year-old Jerome Mason goes to live with his aunt and cousins following the death of his mom, and although Aunt Geneva tries to make him feel welcome, Jerome misses his mother and his

piano which has been sold to cover expenses, and the only person who seems to

understand his feelings is Mr. Willie, a man who does odd jobs to support

himself while living in the carriage house of an empty, dilapidated mansion.”

      When eleven year-old Jerome Mason’s mother passes away from cancer, his

aunt, Miss Geneva, moves him into her home across town from his Cincinnati home. 

His aunt’s two sons (his cousins), Monte, ten, and Damon, fifteen are mean and a

nuisance.  Jerome misses his Mama and the life they enjoyed together, as well as

the piano that they shared.  Even though his aunt’s good gestures to adopt and

reach out to Jerome are evident, the tension between he and his cousins are real. 

Jerome meets Mr. Willie, an elderly man who sleeps in a carriage house beside an

empty mansion. Mr. Willie survives by taking on odd jobs.  Since Jerome and Mr.

Willie both  love playing the piano, the two make a good connection.  As a child,

Jerome took piano lessons at the mansion next to Mr. Willie’s carriage house and

wonders if the piano is still in the mansion.  Mr. Willie is a good listener and

the two create a garden together.  When Mr. Willie disappears and the house

sells, Jerome wonders where he went.  When he gets a note from Mr. Willie, he

and his aunt and cousins go for a visit.  As the story progresses, it’s nice to

see Jerome’s acceptance of his new family and of being adopted by his aunt. 

Throughout the text, Jerome’s Mama words are interwoven, making her presence and

connection to Jerome very real.           Forba-Mayer, Charleen

Wesselhoeft, Conrad. Adios, Nirvana.

Wesselhoeft, Conrad Adios, Nirvana
Houghton Mifflin/Clarion/Graphia/Kingfisher 2010 235p 16.00 978-0-547-36895-5 jr/sr Death - Friendship E-BN


Jonathan has talent. He is a poet and he can play his guitar but he is missing his other half, his twin brother who died tragically. Now Jonathan has to find where he fits in and try to move on even if it means leaving behind his past. Fortunately, people are looking out for Jonathan all he has to do is take the challenge. A gifted poet, Jonathan won the top prize and is now considered a registered poet but at school is just another student. He is not a bad student but after his brother's death, Jonathan finds it hard to find meaning in life. His twin brother was a leader and on his way to becoming a great musician when tragedy struck. Now doing a solo Jonathan is having a hard time moving on. After winning the prize for poetry and becoming a recognized poet Jonathan is faced with new challenges and a possibility of rediscovering himself without his twin brother. The question is will he meet the challenges head on or will he stay in a past that is no longer his to claim?
A story of coming of age and facing life even when it kicks you in the face. Very well told with a lot of guy moments with guitars, writing lyrics and poetry with a little romance thrown it. The side story of helping an old man write history as it happened to him helps the character find a the healing piece missing in the character's life.
I found the writing very poetic. I especially enjoyed the part when the author describes the teacher from India, Ms. Gupti. There is a confrontation between her and Jonathan; the author write: "Gupti glares. The Monsoons of India darken her eyes". And then when the student agrees to her terms, the author describes it as ╥ The storm blows away. The sun burst over Calcutta╙. I loved it!! Realistic Fiction Diaz, Magna

Smith-Ready, Jeri. Shade.

Smith-Ready, Jeri. Shade.
Simon Pulse see Simon & Schuster 2010 320p 17.99
978-1-4169-9406-0 hs Supernatural VG-BN
Aura was born after the shift and Zachary was the last born before the shifted. Together they discover that there is a mystery involving their birth. Aura’s boyfriend loses his life just as she meets Zachary. Now she is trying to understand her feelings understanding that before she can move on she must let go.
Aura and Logan had a true love relationship. He was a singer with his brother and sister and were on their way to stardom. On his birthday they received an offer with a record company then Logan, Aura and the group went to his house to celebrate but at the party something went wrong.
Logan drank to much and took drugs and ended up a ghost. Aura who can see ghost was horrified to find Logan was dead and now a ghost who need to cross over. How did everything so right could go so wrong?
Enters Zachary into her life. He is handsome and he has been assigned to work with her on her science project. Aura is now confused. She knows that she should help Logan move on but she is not ready yet to do that, now to complicate things she discovers that she is on the right track on her science project and Zachary is a big part of it all.
A mystery that is left unsolved. This book probably will have a second book explaining the mystery behind Aura and Zachary’s birth. There is a sexual scene of masturbation and Logan’s little brother at one point of frustration repeats the “F” word repeatedly. The sexual scene is really not necessary and does not do much for the story but it will get kids checking out the book. It is a book that is for High School and above.
Diaz, Magna

In a Heart Beat.

Ellsworth, Loretta. In a Heart Beat.

Walker & Co 2010 216p 16.99

978-0-8027-2068-9 ms/jr VG-BN

Told in their separate voices, Eagan, who has died in a figure-skating accident, becomes a heart donor for Amelia, who then begins taking on some aspects of Eagan's personality. Ellsworth, in her author’s note, states that In a Heart Beat started out as therapy, written after the deaths of her mother and a nephew, who was an organ donor. The result of her effort is a heartfelt, honest to goodness, reach for the tissues because you can’t stop crying kind of a book. But rather than focus on the pedestrian “organ donor saves a life” plot, Ellsworth adds a twist with the theory of cellular memory. Cellular memory theorizes that the brain is not the only repository of memory and that other organs may also hold memories. Sixteen year old Eagan, a competitive ice skater, dies in a freak accident. As an organ donor, her heart goes to fourteen- year-old Amelia who has been living with congestive heart failure. Ellsworth brings us straight into the emotional turmoil of Eagan’s unexpected death and Amelia’s reluctance to live through someone else’s death. Eagan and Amelia’s stories are told in alternating chapters, as each deals with the circumstances of death and life. Eagan is athletic, full of life, with a controlling stage mother. Amelia is artistic, sheltered, with a mother who is devoted to her care and well-being. The two couldn’t be more different. Eagan tells her story in flashback, uncovering family secrets and trying to make sense of her complicated relationship with her mother. Amelia describes her recovery from the transplant operation, pleased with her new heart but believes that the heart has changed her in unexpected and unknown ways. She senses Eagan and begins to acquire some of her characteristics and memories. With the help of a friend, she is able to identify Eagan as her donor and feels compelled to contact Eagan’s parents, not knowing that her visit will reconcile Eagan and her mother. Eagan’s memory in her heart, the heart that now is Amelia’s, is the key to the reconciliation. As Eagan notes about Amelia, “We each saved each other.” For her part, Amelia realizes that Eagan wants her to learn to accept her gift of life. Characterization is strong and well-developed and readers relate to both girls on an emotional level. The theory of cellular memory is intriguing and propels the plot. Ellsworth does not play on saccharine emotions but leads readers to consider the possibilities of the power of memory, the importance of organ donation and the unseen angels that watch over us. Zajko, Rosanne

Michael, Jan. City Boy.

Michael, Jan. City Boy.
Clarion see Houghton Mifflin 2009 186p 16.00 978-0-547223-10-0 ms

Sam loses his parents to AIDS in this novel about acceptance which is set in Malawi. When Sam’s aunt brings him home, he must learn to accept new surroundings, new family members, and a new life, without his parents. The reader is reminded of Sylvia Plath’s, The Bell Jar, in Jan Michael’s, City Boy, due to the theme. In both novels, children must accept the death of a loved one. There are pain, confusion and fear in both novels as well. That is where the similarity disappears. Author, Jan Michael, has chosen Africa as the setting, a poor but proud family in the supportive role and a plot that is compelling. City dweller, Sam, is taken in by his aunt after his parents die of AIDS. His only mementos are a photograph of his parents and his blue sneakers. Both symbolize the life which he must leave as well as his new life. The “Disease”, as AIDS is called, has left Aunt Mercy single, with a family of 4 to support. She has dedicated her life to the children, even refusing to marry the carpenter because she knows that to do so might spread the “Disease” yet again. Instead, she welcomes Sam, teaches him the value of sharing, the importance of family, and the necessity of looking forward after tragedy. She loves him and patiently waits for him to accept his new surroundings. Throughout the book, we feel Sam’s pain, the pain of loss. The descriptions of Malawi are beautiful. The theme is universal. The vocabulary is rich and authentic. As a cultural study, City Boy presents a unique story in a unique setting that leaves the reader a good deal more knowledgeable about the challenges of rural African life. There is one punctuation error. On page 84, second paragraph, there should be a period after “she would shut up the dog first.” Squaresky, Martha

All We Know of Heaven by Jacquelyn Mitchard.

All we know of heaven by Jacquelyn Mitchard.
HarperCollins, 2008, 311p, $16.99, 978-0-06-134578-4.

We all heard the story of the two best friends who were in a car accident: one was in a coma, the other girl died soon after the accident. The girls looked very much alike and due to that, as well as to the injuries, their identities were reversed. The family who buried who they thought was their daughter grieved. They later found out that their daughter was actually the one who survived as was in the coma. The other family had to accept that the girl who was in the coma, who was brain damaged and disfigured, with whom the mother stayed in the hospital around the clock to comfort and watch, was actually their daughter’s best frThis is only in the first part of the book. The rest tells what happens to all the people involved, the boyfriend, the fellow cheerleaders, the parents, brothers and sisters. The author writes a novel about how they grieved, raged, romanced, reacted to tabloids, and continued with life. It is especially the story of Maureen, the one who survived. The author has done her research on how people who are brain damaged can sometimes recover and how their lives can be changed forever. This fictionalized version of this true incident explores what happens to all the people involved. Mitchard in her acknowledgments in the back of the book, points out that only the premise really occurred; the rest is a work of fiction. The story is sometimes sad but also very inspiring. The cover will pull readers right to it; probably girls more than boys. It is a real page turner. I couldn’t put it down.

Slipping. by Cathleen Davitt Bell

Bell, Cathleen Davitt. Slipping.
Bloomsbury see St. Martins, 2008, 215p, $16.99, 978-1-59990-2586

A first novel by Cathleen Davitt Bell, Slipping is an unbelievable masterpiece. It is about relationships and how we allow them to go away. The relationships are between friends, between brother and sister, and between father and son. There is humor, adventure and emotion from cover to cover. Contemporary teen language combines with a protagonist who is real to make a controversial topic like life after death believable. Redemption is possible as we explore a topic that has been studied since the beginning of man.
Slipping blasts the lid off the can of worms that contains the notion of life after death. As Michael slips into and out of the cold river between life and death, pulled there by his recently deceased grandfather, he could die or survive. His love for his grandfather has to be strong enough to help his grandfather come to terms with his own shallow, lonely life and death. Along the way, underachiever Michael pulls others aboard his journey as he navigates the river of the dead. First, he meets Ewan, the pathetic outcast and loner at a small private school in New York City. Ewan’s area of expertise is anything related to ghosts, and he helps Michael understand what is happening to him. Gus is Michael’s soon to be ex-friend. Michael has been feeling Gus pull away for a while, yet is helpless to save the friendship until they are thrown together in a basketball game with the school jock, Tripp. Grandpa steps into Michael to show Michael that he has all of the talent and drive to play ball, and Michael is the hero of the game. After helping his grandfather share his regrets about his loveless last years, Michael almost perishes with his grandfather into a world of permanent death. In a dramatic, perilous ending, Michael is able to save himself with the help of his sister and a few of his friends, and most importantly, his own father.
The subject matter is for a mature teenager or adult who is willing to consider that life is not as we see it. The writing style is fast-paced and engaging. All teenagers, male or female will feel empathy with Michael, a character who is so pathetically compelling that as he weaves his tale, weaves the reader into his web. All teenagers have had an art teacher like Ms. Rosoff, an overachieving sister like Julia, a best friend who has pulled away at times, and a school jock who is characteristically like Tripp. Bell leaves the reader questioning his or her relationships with family and friends as well as acceptance of people for who they are. Just like Michael has his grandfather in his head at unexpected moments, the reader will recall parts of this book for a long time after closing the cover.
This book is best for a mature student in upper middle school or high school. The fantasy/dramatic component of the book makes it too difficult for an immature reader. MS