"Legend"

Lu, M. (2011). Legend. New York, NY: G. P. Putnam's Sons.

Genre: Dystopian Fiction (YA)

 

In this dystopian novel, the United States is no more. The Republic is a new nation and it seems its main focus is war. War with neighboring nations and war within its own structure. 15-year-old Day was born into one of the poorer families and spends his time rebelling against the Republic. Day’s antics are extremely popular and he is a criminal to some and a legend to others. 15-year-old June was born into one of the wealthier families and spends her time preparing for a respected role in the Republic’s military. June’s skills and high test scores have deemed her the nation’s prodigy. The death of June’s brother, Metias, brings the legend and prodigy together for a story full of action, twists, and of course, romance…

Reaction: Marie Lu's approach to this story enticed me. I was immediately drawn to the characters and their emotion kept me hooked throughout the entire book. June and Day each have a distinct voice and Lu shares each of their point of views flawlessly. The distinct fonts and structured chapters help Lu to carry this out successfully. June and Day both express their thoughts in an intense, emotionally charged story full of pain, loss, rebellion, and hope. The Republic is cruel and while more explanation is needed, Lu has developed a dystopian world that frighteningly believable. 

 5 stars

*Legend is the first of a series; stay tuned for my review of its next installments.

"Wither"

DeStefano, L. (2011). Wither: The chemical garden #1. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Genre: Dystopian Fiction, Young Adult

Rhine is 16. In her world, that means her life is almost over. Huh? Yep, her life is almost over. In this dystopian novel, geneticists are scrambling to find an antidote to cure a virus causing a 20-year lifespan that plagues the world’s youth. There is much conflict surrounding geneticists and their work because they caused this virus with their attempts to create a perfect race. Rhine’s parents, both geneticists, were killed in a bombing. Rhine and her twin brother, Rowan, are left in a poverty-stricken city forced to find odd jobs to survive. To make matters worse, young girls, like Rhine, are the targets of horrendous crimes as people seek to either rebuild the human race or rip it down to prevent even more suffering. 

And that’s just the opening. Rhine is kidnapped and bought as a bride to a wealthy man, Linden. His father is a sinister geneticist who will do everything in his power to keep Rhine under his control. Will Rhine be able to escape and find her way back to Rowan?

Reaction: Despite numerous warnings from others, I have to say that I really enjoyed DeStanfo's debut novel. Wither is beautifully and addictively written. I quickly became fond of Rhine and could understand her mixed emotions about her situation. She was kidnapped, torn from her brother and home, and forced into a polygamous marriage. Her sister-wives offer an interesting dynamic to the story as they cope with their generation's deadly virus, share their wealthy husband, and try to deal with the evil whims of Vaughn. At times, I wished I could have heard the inner thoughts of Rhine’s sister-wives. Rhine finds an unexpected love interest in the mansion that is her prison—for me, this was the highlight of the book. This unexpected love adds dimension to the plot and leads to a cliffhanger ending that will be continued in the next installment of this emotionally tragic, intriguing series. (Read in August 2011)

Just Juice

Hesse, Karen. (1998). Just Juice. New York: Scholastic Press.

Literary Genre: Realistic Fiction (Chapter Book)

The Faulstich family is going through a hard time. Pa has difficulty keeping work and is depressed. Ma is pregnant and has gestational diabetes. Juice is in trouble with the truant officer because she does not go to school as she should. Markey and Charleen (Juice’s older sisters) worry about Juice. Juice, Markey, and Charleen pitch in to care for the two little ones, Lulu and Turtle. They barely have enough food to eat, so when Pa gets a letter saying they have to pay taxes or lose their house, he keeps it a secret from Ma.  It seems like the Faulstich’s are doomed. Can Juice get her family through these hard times and deal with her own secret?

Hesse successfully captures the essence of a family’s bond and love. Throughout all these hardships, the Faulstich’s encourage one another, support each other, and remain hopeful that things will get better. The language has some slang that might stump some young readers in the beginning but it allows the reader to visualize the characters. Hesse also does a nice job of addressing the challenges that people with reading disabilities face in their day-to-day lives. My only criticism is that there is not a sequel.

Goal!

Javaherbin, Mina. (2010). GOAL! A. G. Ford. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Literary Genre: Multicultural/International (Picture Book) 

Ajani has to get water from the well before dark, but his homework is finished, so first it’s soccer time! Ajani and his friends must be careful as they play soccer because the streets are not safe in South Africa. When bullies come their way, Ajani and his friends are clever. The combination of repetitive phrases and detailed illustrations of bright blues and warm browns bring soccer to life and successfully highlights its power to bond the friends together during hard times.

I enjoyed this story because it allows readers to experience what it is like to be a young boy in South Africa. Ajani goes to school and plays with friends, but he also has responsibilities that most young boys in the United States do not, such as getting clean water and looking out for bullies that roam the streets. The illustrations represent a poor, dusty shantytown in South Africa; the boys have dirty, torn clothing; which is an accurate account of the environment and clothing of the area. Javaherbin provides an Author’s Note that provides more background on the significance of soccer. The note shares that the people of South Africa (and other countries) play soccer in spite of war, poverty, bully rulers, unsafe alleys, revolution, and hardship. “They play to stay connected. They play to stay children. They play to stay human. But mostly, they play to play.” Javaherbin does an excellent job of helping readers understand how this sport influences and inspires the people of South Africa this is what multicultural literature is intended to do.