PASSENGER by Andrew Smith

Jack, Connor, Griffin, and Ben break the Marbury lens, catapulting each of them into various versions of Marbury with various levels of chaos. The only problem? They can’t get out. Not only that, but Jack didn’t “mind the gap” and he’s somehow changed the course of their futures. Now, the boys have to find each other to figure out a way home, and to correct their tampering of the gap, before the hunters find them.

Smith recreates the high intensity, action-packed world of Marbury, but instead of giving the reader glimpses, he allows us to visit it for 400+ pages. PASSENGER fills in all of the gaps left from THE MARBURY LENS. As a result, readers really need to read book one before diving onto book two; otherwise, they will be lost. As a result, THE MARBURY LENS is more of an appetizer to prepare the reader for his journey into Marbury while PASSENGER is the main course. (In fact, I felt as though I was the passenger on Jack’s journey to make it home.)

This novel is so well written that the reader finds himself emotionally invested in the lives of the main characters. Through each suspenseful and thrilling scene, the reader tenses to find out if all of the boys will make it home. Unfortunately, among all of this greatness, I do have one pet peeve to express; then I’ll go back to how amazing it is.

I get very frustrated when novels incorporate romantic elements when they don’t need them. For instance, THE MARBURY LENS (Book 1) needed Nickie to move the plot along, so having that storyline made sense; however, the focus of PASSENGER had shifted so that Nickie wasn’t needed in PASSENGER (book 2). As a result, when she was referenced, it broke up the intensity and flow of the plot to the point that I was literally yelling at the book, “Oh, come on! Forget her. I want more hunters, harvesters, and worms!”

**SPOILER: DO NOT READ**

Having expressed my views of unnecessary romantic elements within strong plotlines, I can’t say that I didn’t see the love interest between Connor and Jack happening. In fact, it was alluded to so heavily throughout both books that I wondered if their friendship ran much deeper than “bromance.” However, I feel as though it was still unnecessary. For me, the focus of the novel was the survival of four boys in a savage world where they didn’t belong. They showed undying commitment, sacrifice, and bravery to make sure everyone made it out okay. For me, the book should have ended once all of the boys made it home because that was the focus of the book. When the romance between Jack and Connor took place, the entire focus of the novel shifted and it detracted from the focus of the main point. Some may argue that the author needed to include this information to tie up loose ends, but, “Hello?!” The entire novel is full of loose ends. There are still questions that I have that will probably never be answered.

**SPOILER COMPLETE: PLEASE RESUME READING*****

I loved the action and intensity of THE MARBURY LENS and PASSENGER.  I devoured these books, and I’m not a sci-fi fan. I fell in love with these books. I fell in love with the characters. I didn’t want the books to end. In fact, Mr. Smith, will you PLEASE write a third? I would like to have it from Henry Hewitt’s perspective.

Concerns: From an educator’s perspective, these books contain a lot of language, violence, and sexual references. As a result, be aware of these issues and possible concerns that parents may have, but don’t withhold them from your libraries. Some students will be mature enough to handle the content, and some may not. Basically, you need to read the novels yourself to decide how you will incorporate them into your classroom. 

ARC courtesy of ALA 2012

Publication Date: October 2012

Tilt by Ellen Hopkins

MiKayla, Shane, and Harley come from homes that are broken – either physically or emotionally. Each one has watched the breakdown of their parents’ love and feels the void that it creates. It’s this void that propels each one of them into relationships in search of the love that they don’t feel at home.

Hopkins does a great job of portraying different facets of relationships through each character. She shows the innocent intensity of first loves, the dangers of placing our trust and lives in the hands of those who might not deserve it, and the importance of staying true to ourselves. Each character develops an obstacle based on choices they made that he or she must overcome. As they work through their options and face the cruel judgments of others, they realize that redemption and hope still exist.

ARC received at ALA 2012

Publication Date: September 2012

**Companion to Triangles

PS Thanks for sneaking Karin and I a copy, Ellen!

Rage by Julie Anne Peters

Johanna only wants one thing - Reeve Hartt. Reeve consumes her thoughts, her dreams, her reason for living. With an intensity that borders obsession, Johanna makes it her mission to make Reeve hers before their senior year is over, which gives her approximately fourteen days. Through a twist of fate, the two girls are thrown together, and they ignite a passionate love affair that turns abusive. Throughout the novel, the reader experiences the emotional roller coaster of their turbulent relationship, and learns that the line between abuser and victim is blurred when everything hinges upon RAGE.

Peters gives an honest view of an abusive relationship, and the manipulation and lies a victim tells herself to keep from facing the truth. Disturbing.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

What happens when 50 Teen Dream beauty contestants' plane crashes, and a handful of survivors find themselves stranded on a deserted island with no food, no drinkable water, and no beauty products? ThinkLord of the Flies meets Miss Congeniality. As the days tick by, and hope of rescue diminishes, the survivors begin to realize that there is more to them than being pretty: they learn that they are intelligent and resourceful, and that the Corporation has been feeding them an image that they readily accepted and perpetuated. It's not until some sexy pirates show up and mysterious men-in-black that the beauty contestants start to wonder if they're really alone on the island and if their perception of "reality" is being manipulated for evil purposes. 

The best way that I can describe this novel is: too much.  There were too many characters, too many subplots, too many underlying themes...just too much. In fact, even as I write this review, I can't remember all of the characters who survived the plane crash because there were too many. In fact, the author didn't even bother naming several of them: Miss Ohio, etc. As a result, their development was superficial along with the political message (gltbq, racism, abstinence, feminism) each represented. Granted, the dialogue was laugh-out-loud funny in several places, but it got old after 200 pages when the plot refused to move. 

Basically, I was going to give this book 2 STARS after reading 250 pages because it became irritating and monotonous; however, if the reader can stick through the end, Bray does a good job of redeeming the storyline. This book would have been better with fewer characters who were better developed. In effect, by doing this, the themes of anti-Corporation would have been more effectively communicated and addressed.

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

In Hopkin's sequel, she introduces readers to the need for perfection that some teenagers face, which leads them to feed the IMPULSE. Cara, Conner's twin sister, has her entire life planned for her, and everything seems to be falling into place until she realizes a part of herself that no longer wishes to stay hidden. Sean, Cara's boyfriend, has a plan, too: earn a baseball scholarship to Stanford and make Cara love him. But, what happens when half of the equation refuses to play the game? Then, there is Kendra. Beautiful, ambitious Kendra, who is willing to sell her life for a modeling career. As her stock begins to soar, she wonders if the cost will prove deadly. And, finally, Andre is a young man who must decide if his dreams are worth having, or if they're simply fantasies keeping him from reality.

The novel begins from Cara's perspective right after Conner attempts suicide and is sent to Aspen Springs. Although he isn't at the center of the novel, he is the glue that holds a lot of it together. For instance, Kendra is in love with him, Cara is distraught about his attempted suicide, Sean was his teammate, and Andre dates Kendra's sister, who knows all four main characters. Hopkins does a good job of weaving in and out of Conner's story to flow into their personal demons, constantly tying them together. Even though I enjoyed this book, I felt like it became repetitive in several places. I know that the goal was to present certain events from different perspectives, which I liked; however, I'm referring to the fact that each character of the story seemed to repeat what they said and did in the previous section. For instance, every time Sean surfaced, I knew he was going to whine about Cara and baseball - nothing new. When it was Andre's turn, I knew that Jenna (Kendra's sister, his girlfriend) and he would go on a date, and she would ruin it by acting insensitive; then, he would apologize and tell her how much he loved her. Kendra was going to count calories and not eat; Cara was going to question her entire life. For me, I would have liked more action and interaction so that the story didn't become dull. Hopkins did throw in a couple of twists towards the end, which really helped the novel end powerfully. I just wish that more of those events would have been woven throughout the entire novel.

This novel could be stand-alone; however, the ending of the first book will be spoiled.

Freak Show by James St. James

Billy Bloom isn't like other boys. Mostly because he's FABULOUS. Unfortunately, students at his new school don't like his gender bender style and decide that one "faggot" at Eisenhower High School is too many. As their hate crimes escalate, Billy takes them in stride until one day the assaults go too far and he ends up broken and in a coma. Surprisingly, he wakes up to find his secret crush, Flip, not only keeping vigil by his bedside, but swearing to protect him. 

Everything seems to be going well for Billy after he returns to school and people see that Flip has taken him under his wing until he announces his candidacy for homecoming queen, then, all hell breaks loose. What people consider a joke, at first, turns into a social movement that demands people to stop being cruel to others, and learn to love the "freak" within themselves. 

This is a great story for tolerance. Billy is very witty and funny, but I found myself getting frustrated with all of the sidebars and random ramblings, even though I know that that is probably authentic because I have friends who do the same thing - I do the same thing. Overall, the author does a good job of using humor to address the very real issues of hate crimes and intolerance. I feel like the ending was a little too perfect, though. Everything seemed to wrap up in a neat bow, which isn't often the case.

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

Five teenagers. Five very different lives. Only one solution. Ellen Hopkins takes statistics about female prostitution, and weaves a tale of betrayal, hopelessness, and want. Each teen, through unforeseeable circumstances, finds themselves alone and unable to care for themselves. Some are tricked into prostitution by pimps masquerading as would-be saviors while others fall into it because they see no other choice. Some make it out; some can't walk away; and some disappear, but they all carry scars - deep, gaping scars that will never
heal.

Like all of Hopkins' books, this one provides a stark look at America's dirty-little-secret. People who like to pretend that prostitution is something limited to drug addicts and women who don't want to earn honest wages need to stay away from this book because it will shatter those stereotypical assumptions. Instead, it will show readers that their neighbors, friends, and even children could easily slip into the abyss and never claw their way out. Hopelessness has no bias, and if money is the root of all evil, then what's the big deal with turning a trick or two?

Powerful, powerful book. The main thing that people need to take away from this novel is to be less judgemental and more kind. When we see people in need, we should be good samaritans.

I will warn readers that there are multiple, explicit sex scenes. These are not glorified, nor are they presented to entertain the reader. They are meant to show the degredation of human decency when survival is all that is left.

**Mature readers only!**