Book Review: Wintergirls

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.

“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.

I am that girl.

I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.

I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her step-mother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way—thin, thinner, thinnest—maybe she'll disappear altogether.

In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the National Book Award finalist Speak, best-selling author Laurie Halse Anderson explores one girl's chilling descent into the all-consuming vortex of anorexia.

Wintergirlsby Laurie Halse Anderson has been on my shelf for years. I picked it up after falling in love with Speak. But it sat on my shelf for far too long. Needing a break from my regular preference of YA paranormal, I picked up this contemporary, also YA. And it was amazing! Brilliant! Superb! There just is not a word in existence to describe it.

Lia is our main character and narrator. She is also a wintergirl. After making a bet with her best friend, Cassie, to be the skinniest girl in school, she stops eating. She starves herself so she can make her goal weight. Except, her goal weight lowers as she reaches previous goals. Until she becomes so sick she lands herself in the hospital, and her family eventually has her put into a facility to help her. This novel starts off after she's been released and is (supposedly) doing well. She and Cassie are no longer friends, but that doesn't mean the news of Cassie's death doesn't bother her. While Lia was anorexic, Cassie was bulimic. Both eating disorders that do more harm than good.

Lia lives with her father, step-mother, and step-sister, Emma. Emma is a tween and looks up to Lia. This causes added strain, as Lia's lifestyle is not anything to look up to. Lia's mother is mostly gone from her life. A cardiologist that has more time for her patients than her family. Lia's life was far from perfect before she started starving herself. But living in a home where she isn't receiving the attention every teen girl deserves pushes her further.

There were a number of things I really liked about this book. This is the first novel I've read that dealt with eating disorders. And in case you don't know, eating disorders is huge in the US. Especially with teens and college students. You can see statistics here. So the first thing I loved was that it was such an amazing, impressive, powerful story that I think could really help people with eating disorders. I have friends, past and current, that have dealt with eating disorders. It's not just about being skinny. It's about how someone perceives themselves. For example, Lia comments on how people see her as being a skinny twig, while she sees a thick, ugly log. Which simply can't be true of someone over five feet and under a hundred pounds. I think Laurie did an amazing job of getting into Lia's head and being true to what girls like her are going through.

The second thing I loved was the story-telling. Laurie Halse Anderson's writing is always fantastic, but this one was definitely up there with Speak. The writing was very similar, whereas Catalyst and Twisted had a slightly different style. Lia narrates the book in first person. There are lines where her thoughts are crossed out and a second thought follows, noting the difference between the real thought/response and the thought/response she feels should be real. It was an interesting insight into Lia's thoughts. I had trouble putting this book down, and it was impossible not to be sucked in.

This is definitely one of the best contemporary books I've ever read. It has earned a spot on my list of "Books Everyone Should Read." So if you haven't read it, go grab a copy. You won't be disappointed.

Winners: Speak

And the winner, of one copy of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is...

Kare

*I was going to give away two copies, but due to the low number of entries, I'm giving away one now and will save one for a giveaway later

Speak Up!

I wanted to write a post about SPEAK on Sunday when Twitter exploded with messages about a man named Wesley Scroggins and his wanting to ban SPEAK. (If you haven't heard about this, you can read about it here and check the hastag #SpeakLoudly on twitter). But I wanted to reread it before I wrote the post, since I read it more than a year ago.

The first thing I saw in my platinum edition of SPEAK is a letter from the fabulous author, Laurie Halse Anderson. I love the line about revisiting the “agonies of adolescence” because that is so true. I love young adult fiction, but was not a happy teen. School was torture because I was constantly picked on.

As I flipped to the next page, I got to the message Laurie Halse Anderson wrote in my book at ALA a few months ago. Can anyone guess what she wrote? “Speak up!”

This book really touched me… for a number of reasons. A number of my friends are rape survivors. One friend was attacked by a stranger who grabbed her as she walked down the street in broad daylight. Another girl who was attacked by a friend of hers. It happened a few times before she realized that she could say “no”. A third friend was attacked while she was too inebriated to fight back. And another friend, my best friend at the time, was raped by the guy she was seeing. And believe it or not, I have many other friends who have been in similar situations and one who was sexually abused for ten years by her father and uncle.

Perhaps you don’t know the statistics. According to RAINN 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men are attacked. Every 2 minutes a woman is raped in the US. 73% of women know their attackers and 60% of assaults are not reported to the police. And 44% of these women are under the age of 18. I think most of you would agree with me that those are scary statistics. We live in a free country… where it’s a high probability of being raped… The rates have risen from a few years back, and I hope it’s because more women are speaking up. And I hope every one of them understand that it is never anyone’s fault but the rapist.

Found this banner here.

Because this kind of thing happens to so many of us, it’s a very important topic to talk about, which is another reason SPEAK is an important book to read. I really identified with Melinda for a number of reasons. I think a lot of girls would. A lot of teens (and adults) feel alone. They feel they can’t talk about something that needs to be brought to light. Whether or not that something is rape.

My best friend was raped while we were in college. She reacted much like Melinda. She cut herself off from everyone. I didn’t hear from her for months. She didn’t tell her mom or anyone for a long time after. It makes me mad that someone could make her feel that way. She was always outgoing and open. Eventually, she found her voice and spoke up.

I was very pleased to see that SPEAK is being taught in high school. Even if you don’t like the story or the writing, the message needs to be heard. SPEAK tells women and girls that they are not alone. I believe Melinda can help girls find their voice and tell their stories. And for those who have not been sexually assaulted, it might help you understand a friend who has. Also, while Melinda may turn out to be a positive role model for girls, I think guys would definitely benefit from this book. I don’t know that men understand how hurtful and devastating this can be for women. It completely changes us, as anything that traumatic would.

On Sunday night I was telling a friend of mine (who is not in the YA book blog community) about this ridiculousness. She asked if Scroggins wanted to ban rape, too. It seems clear to me Mr. Scroggins didn't actually read the texts himself. It still baffles me that people are trying to ban books in 2010. Trying to stomp on our constitutional rights after all this time. And it baffles me even more that someone is trying to ban SPEAK by calling it “soft porn”. Along with SPEAK, Scroggins wanted to ban SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE and TWENTY BOY SUMMER. I ran out and bought TWENTY BOY SUMMER, since wanting to ban a book is as good as a recommendation. If it might be banned, it's probably worth reading. =P

So… speak up! And fight to keep books from being banned.

Book Review: Twisted

Another great novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. I didn't like TWISTED as much as SPEAK and CATALYST, but I still loved it. It's written in first person, from a male POV. This is something we need more of, in my opinion. The teenage boys mind is fascinating.

Poor Tyler. It seems like he can't catch a break. It's one thing after another. And I've felt like that, too. He's a senior, who used to be one of the nerds. His best friend is nicknamed Yoda. And his little sister is a freshman who his best friend likes. And, of course, there's his crush, Bethany who is twin to Tyler's enemy, Chip.

An interesting thing about this book... Normally when I read YA, I could care less about the parents. The less they are involved, the better. But in this one I found myself really curious about Tyler's parents. I actually wanted to know more about them. It was clear something was going on, and I wanted to know what.

If you're wanting a good book with real situations and from a boy's perspective, check this one out.

Synopsis:

High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn't believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father's boss's daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy — and Tyler's secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in school, in his family, and in the world.

Meeting Authors: American Library Association (ALA) 2010

Contest is over.

As much as I wanted to go to ALA both Saturday and Sunday, I had promised to baby-sit. But she cancelled last minute. So even though I got there late and missed Malinda Lo, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, and the BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS ARC signing, I got there in time to meet some other fabulous authors and grab some other ARCs.

Laurie Halse Anderson was the first author I met. She was number one on my list to meet on Saturday. I love SPEAK and CATAYST, and I’m currently enjoying TWISTED. I got all three of those signed, as well as WINTERGIRLS and a second copy of SPEAK. She was super friendly. And she used to live in my area, so we chatted about that some. It’s always nice to meet authors who are so down-to-earth.

After getting those signed, I ran over to Melissa Marr’s line, which had gotten smaller. I’ve met her a few times already. She is absolutely fabulous, and very focused on her readers. She recognized me, which was a “Woot!” moment. Though I shouldn’t be surprised. Just a few months ago we had breakfast and spent a few hours hanging out at RT (with Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Em from http://twistedfates.livejournal.com/ and Sandy from http://scribing-shadows.blogspot.com/). I finally got my copy of RADIANT SHADOWS signed and a spoiler (Shhh) from DARKEST MERCY which I am not allowed to share.

Diana Peterfreund was there. I took my copy of RAMPANT. But genius that I am, forgot that I bought a signed stock copy from a Borders that she did a signing at. She’s a local author. But I did pick up a copy of ASCENDANT, as well as an extra for my friend Sam from http://loonyreads.blogspot.com/

Holly Black was signing also. I’ve met her more than any other author. Probably 10 times… and this was the third this year. She does a lot of signings in the DC area. Anyway, they were selling paperbacks of her graphic novel, KIN, the first in The Good Neighbors series for $2. So I bought five, and if you follow me on twitter, you may remember the twitter only giveaway. She was great as always. And, of course, very funny.

I spent the rest of the day exploring the YA publishing booths. I picked up several good ones: THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff (one for me and one for Em from http://twistedfates.livejournal.com/), THE PAINTED BOY by the fantastic Charles de Lint, and DARK SONG by author Gail Giles.

Sunday was an even bigger day. I got in line for Simone Elkeles, Jessica Day George, and Carrie Jones, but then I saw the line for Andrea Cremer and Ally Condie. So I jumped over there to make sure I could pick up an ARC of NIGHTSHADE and MATCHED. I got to see Susan from http://www.wastepaperprose.com/ while waiting in line. I picked those up and got them signed. Andrea Cremer told me my name was fantastic, her favorite. For those who don’t know, my real name is Andrea. Friends (and fellow book bloggers) asked me to pick up an extra copy for them. So when I asked if I could get back in line and get a second copy, I was laughed at for thinking there’d be any left.

While waiting in line I met Vordak the Incomprehensible. Scott Seegert, the author of VORDAK THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE, was dressed up as his MC. He was very funny. He walked around handing out ARCs of his books asking if you “want to grow up and rule the world”. Of course, everyone said "yes". The kids loved him.

So… sad that I couldn’t get extra copies, I ran over to meet Simone Elkeles, Jessica Day George, and Carrie Jones and get books signed. The woman in front of me wouldn’t move on so I didn’t really get to chat with any of them. She wanted to have long convos with each of them and the lady that ran the booth had to move her down. FYI, it’s not polite to hog author time. You only get to talk while they are signing your books when there is a long line. The worst part… the lady didn’t even have their books. She just picked up their swag and got that signed.

After that, the Andrea/Ally line was small, so I got in line again. I picked up NIGHTSHADE for Catie from http://meow-mix85.blogspot.com/ and MATCHED for Kim from http://twistedfates.livejournal.com/ Woot, there were some left! Also, they told me the cover on the hardback on NIGHTSHADE, is even more amazing.

Other authors I wanted to see were John Green and David Levithan, authors of WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON, that I won from Melissa Marr. But their line was crazy long, and they cut it so I wasn’t able to get it signed. But I did meet David Levithan the previous day while getting books signed by Holly Black.

Speaking of Holly Black... she was signing again. Met some nice people in line. She also had a crazy long line that they had to cut. Simon and Schuster had a kinda uncool rule for passing out ARCs. You had to buy a book first. While I understand that rule, it stinks when you already own everything by the author. Which I do, and it's all signed. So I got another copy of VALIANT (this time for a co-workers daughter that I gave TITHE to a while back) and for buying that I got an ARC of ZOMBIES VS UNICORNS. She also had some cool swag. Buttons for zombies, unicorns, and The Curse Workers. And the best swag of the day… black Curse Workers gloves. And chapter two of RED GLOVE.

And for those interested... here is the entire scene from the ZOMBIES VS UNICORNS book.

While I was there I bought THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST and got it signed by Rick Yancey. Aside from author signings and ARCs, the next coolest thing was the cheap books. $2-$5 for paperbacks and $5-$10 for hardbacks. So I picked up the hardback. I’ve looked at this book numerous times, and I thought now was the perfect time to buy it. Too bad the paperback cover is much awesomer. *grin*

Next on the schedule (and, yes, I had a printed schedule for the day) was Elizabeth Scott and Nancy Werlin. For whatever reason, that made no sense, they had a line for each of them. Andrea and Ally were at the same booth and they had one line for both. So, basically, everyone had to wait in line twice. And we were in a small space which means confusion. Also, the lines criss-crossed each other. Not cool, but I got ARCs of GRACE by Elizabeth Scott and EXTRAORDINARY by Nancy Werlin. Also, I got IMPOSSIBLE signed.

I met Amy Brecount White months back when she invited me to her book release party. I also saw her at the Virginia Festival of the Book. So I swung by just to say “hi”. She really is a sweet lady, so if you get the chance to meet her, go…

I ran into Melissa Marr, so we hung out a bit. Picked up an ARC of THE GRIMM LEGACY by Polly Shulman. We got separated on our way to Libba Bray’s line. So, unfortunately, not much Melissa time, but any time is great.

Libba Bray was sweet. In line I met a lovely girl from PA and her aunt. The girl and I chatted a lot about fabulous books. While we were waiting, a lady came up and started chatting with the girls aunt who is a librarian in Montgomery County, MD. The other lady worked with her. And then after she left, her aunt told us that was Annette Curtis Klause. Too bad we didn’t know it was her while she was standing there so we could gush. But she's local, so I hold out hope to meet her again.

Ivy Devlin was next on my list. Ivy is a pen name for an author who is popular for YA fiction. She swore everyone to secrecy to not reveal who she really is. Sorry. But she’s a great author, as I’ve read several of her books and met her previously. I got an ARC of LOW RED MOON, her first YA paranormal. I’ve heard mixed reviews, but I am excited.

While in line for Jeri Smith-Ready, I saw James from http://bookchicclub.blogspot.com/ He was chatting with Stacey Kade, author of THE GHOST AND THE GOTH. Hyperion practically tossed a stack of books to me earlier when one of the women working there and I chatted about the Percy Jackson books. So Stacey Kade signed my ARC. Hanging out with her was Stephanie Kuehnert. I won one of her books from Free Book Friday Teen, and bought the other, but have read none. So I had no idea what to say. “I have your books, and one is signed, but, no… I haven’t read them yet” seemed not so fantastic. Jeri Smith-Ready is another local author. I got my copy of SHADE signed. She was very sweet and kinda quiet.

Throughout the day I picked up I AM J by Cris Beam, PEGASUS by Robin McKinley, and CLOCKWORK ANGEL by Cassandra Clare. I thought for sure by the end of Sunday CLOCKWORK ANGEL would be gone, but they were sneaky and hid them, passing them out only to those that asked. They thought it would ensure they go to good homes where people really wanted them.

And I sadly didn’t get BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, JANE by April Lindner, PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White, and IMMORTAL BELOVED by Cate Tiernan, but the publishers are supposed to be sending me copies. *fingers crossed*

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And now to the most exciting part of my post...

I ended up with about 24 ARCs, and while all of them seem interesting, I just don't have enough reading time to get to them all. So... if you are a blog reviewer you can enter to win.

There will be four winners. Each will get three ARCs. I've put them in lists, because some are YA and some are MG and some are already out. So... to even it out, I've made ARC Lists. First winner gets preference.

To enter:

1) You must be a follower.

2) Answer the following question: What book are you most excited about coming out this fall?

3) Leave a link to your blog, so that I can see you do review books.

4) You can receive one extra point per Tweet, up to five. Please leave a link to each, and no they don't all need to be in the same reply.

5) Leave me your email, so that I can contact you.

Winners will be chosen on Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 10:00PM EST.

ARC List 1: SOMETHING LIKE FATE by Susane Colasanti (YA), YOU KILLED WESLEY PAIN by Sean Beaudoin (YA), THE CLOCKWORK THREE by Matthew Kirby (MG)

ARC List 2: RADIANT DARKNESS by Emily Whitman (YA), THE ENEMY by Charlie Higson (YA), CLARA LEE AND THE APPLE PIE DREAM by Jenny Han (MG)

ARC List 3: THE HALF-LIFE OF PLANETS by Emily Franklin (YA), GHOUL STRIKE by Andrew Newbound (MG), THE EXTRAORDINARY SECRETS OF APRIL, MAY, AND JUNE by Robin Benway (YA)

ARC List 4: THE GRIMM LEGACY by Polly Shulman (MG), THE CANDYMAKERS by Wendy Mass (MG), DARK SONG by Gail Giles (YA)

Book Review: Catalyst

This book was amazing. It was so good I don't have words for it. Laurie Halse Anderson is an amazing writer. SPEAK was incredible, and CATALYST follows a different student from the same school. We do get a glimpse of Melinda and it's good to know how's she's doing after the stuff in her book. I look forward to more books from this author. TWISTED and WINTERGIRLS are both on my TBR (to be read) list.

Book Review: Speak

SPEAK was an incredible book. I read it in one day. It had been recomended to me many times, and I'm so glad I read it. It was sad and beautiful and in the end, empowering. This novel was written by Laurie Halse Anderson for young adults when I was still a young adult. It just took me ten years to discover it.

About five years ago, it was turned into a Lifetime movie. The main character, Melinda Sordino, was played by Kristen Stewart, who I think is an amazing actress. It just so happened to come on TV the day after I read the book. They did an amazing job transfering it to video. So much of this book is internal, as Melinda was traumatized and had basically lost her voice. She couldn't speak about what happened to her. I think this book would speak, not just to teens, but to everyone.

Despite this book being about such an ugly topic, it really was beautifully written. Did you know that every two minutes a woman is raped in the US or that 1 in 6 women will be raped? Did you know that 73% of rape victims know their attacker and 60% go unreported? Those are scary statistics. The most wonderful thing about this book is that there are so many girls and women who can relate to what Melinda goes through. But not only that, it could help women speak out, to go to police and report the attack. Melinda is a wonderful character, and she can help many young women. A huge thanks to Laurie Halse Anderson for writing this amazing novel. I can't wait to read more of her work.

Synopsis:

Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won’t talk to her, and people she doesn’t even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that’s not safe. Because there’s something she’s trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary first novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.