Category Archives: Nonfiction

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

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 Bridge of Clay is a book about stories. It’s about an immigrant girl whose father sent her across the sea with the Odyssey, the Iliad and a love of the piano. It’s about a boy who loved the girl in his paintings more than the one he painted them of. It’s about a jockey and her horse and a very stubborn mule. It’s about a family. It’s about Clay and his brothers. It’s about how everything and everyone has a story if you look hard enough, and those stories shape us into the people we are.

Clay Dunbar’s mother died when he was in middle school. His dad left a few months later. For years it’s just been him and his four brothers and that’s been okay. They made it okay. But now their father is back, and with a request. He wants one of his sons to come back home with him, and help him build a bridge.
Bridge of Clay is a bittersweet story of a father and son reconnecting after years of estrangement. The main plot is interwoven with the lives of the people around Clay, a resonant reminder that there are always other sides to the story and always past experiences that influence the present. Once again, Zusak thoughtfully weaves a masterful tale to stir the hearts of readers everywhere.

Every Day by David Levithan

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Every Day by David Levithan, is probably my favorite book. It is a beautiful story about love, the obstacles of life, and how important making memories is. The main character, A, wakes up every single day in a new place, in a new body. He takes over for a day, traveling through this strange life and seeing all kinds of things. One day, he wakes up in the body of Justin, and meets his girlfriend- Rhiannon. Love at first sight is such a cliche, but David Levithan makes it fascinatingly real. He tells the story of A and Rhiannon, and the intense obstacles they have to face, even just to talk to each other! This love story is one of a kind, and it will keep you wanting more.
I love this book because it is a completely new take on a love story. They get repetitive after a while, and this brings a fresh take to the YA genre. Every Day sucks you in; you feel the character’s emotions; you live this story. I read this a few years ago, but even now I still remember the feelings washing over me as I indulged in this. It is memorable, beautiful, and heart-racing. This is the most interesting book I have ever read, and that’s saying something! David Levithan truly brings such a riveting storyline to such a unique group of characters. I’m glad it has a sequel! I cannot praise this book enough, and it will always be an all-time favorite.

Save the Date by Morgan Matson

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Save the Date by Morgan Matson is a story about love, family, and growing up. Charlie’s life is changing: her big sister is getting married, her mom’s comic strip that has chronicled her family’s adventures is ending, her parents are selling the only home she has ever known, and it’s all happening on the same weekend. Charlie has just a few days with all of her siblings together at home for one last time and needs everything to be perfect, but it seems like everything just keeps going wrong. There’s an embezzling wedding planner, a sabotaging neighbor, a feud with a twelve year old in pigtails, missing tuxedos, and two very cute boys.
Matson masterfully weaves together an incredible story, capturing the wonderful chaos of a big family, the butterflies that come with first loves, and the changes and fear of growing up. From the front cover to chapter titles, every bit of Save the Date is as perfect and quirky as the family it is about. It has quickly made its way to the top of my list of favorite contemporaries. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a feel good story that will have you laughing out loud and leave you with a smile on your face – and maybe have you calling up your family to tell them just how much you love them.

Exclusive Interview with Lisa Jensen!

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  1. Fairytale retellings have become very popular in recent years, particularly in YA literature; what do you think makes these stories so compelling?

    Like all folklore, fairy tales have been passed down between the generations for centuries. The details of each story may evolve in the telling over time, but the essence of each tale persists — a poor girl goes to the ball and wins a prince; a beauty falls in love with a scary beast. These tales are in our blood!

    But as readers, we also respond differently as we ourselves evolve out of childhood and into adulthood. There are infinite new ways to look at these classic stories, which is what writers find so irresistible. And fortunately, it seems like readers are just as eager to come along for the ride!

    You’ve written a couple adult books as well as having been a film critic and a columnist, what made you decide to make Beast a YA novel?

    Beast was originally written as an adult novel. But an editor at Candlewick, the fabulous Kaylan Adair, fell in love with the book and bought it for her YA line. We had some tweaking to do over the long editing process, but I think it’s a stronger book now. My original take on the story also had to evolve in subtle ways as I began to view it from a YA perspective.

    Your book tackles some important issues (e.g. sexual assault), what do you think the responsibility of authors (particularly of YA and children’s books) is to talk about these controversial topics?

    In Beast, I wanted to focus on the profound effect of assault on my heroine, as she grapples with feelings of shame, despair, and finally, rage. (That’s the “Revenge” part of the story.) She has to learn that she’s not responsible for what was done to her, and that it also lies within her power to seize control of her own life again and grow stronger. That’s the journey she is on, just as Beast is on a journey to find his place in a human world. They both must tap into their inner humanity.

    What advice would you give to aspiring authors about writing and publishing their stories?

    Read everything you can! Especially by authors you love! (Although, back when I was an occasional book reviewer for the SF Chronicle, I found it was almost as useful to learn what not to do from books that I didn’t think worked!) Write all the time, even if it’s just in your own private journal that no one will ever see, to teach yourself to shape language. Then write the story that’s in your heart — nobody else can tell that story in the same way as you. And Never. Ever. Give. Up!

    Some authors have said that they write the books they needed when they were kids, do you feel this is true of yours?

    No, I wrote this book for the person I am now — someone who loves Beauty and the Beast, but thinks the noble Beast deserves to be the hero of the story, not the prince!

    Do you have any plans for future books?

    Always!

Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge by Lisa Jensen

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When Lucie came to Château Beaumont she was looking for a job that would get her away from home. She wasn’t prepared for the cruel and handsome Chevalier de Beaumont, and the strange tale born from her own hatred of him. But when an old witch curses the Chevalier to become a fearsome beast and Lucie a candlestick to watch him, everything changes.
As Beast, the Chevalier is quiet and kind, even to Lucie, only wanting to keep to himself and tend his garden. All too soon, Lucie finds herself drawn to- even befriending, the lonely beast. But with the arrival of Rose, a beautiful young merchant’s daughter, their fragile peace threatens to break. For if Rose offers to marry Beast, the Chevalier will return, and only Lucie knows how terrible that would be. And only Lucie has a chance of stopping it from happening.

Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge

The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen

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Megan Bannen’s debut novel, The Bird and the Blade is a rich and poignant story of love, loss, and the bloody struggle for power within a fractured Mongol Empire during the 13th century.
Jinghua lost everything on the day the Mongols invaded her home and slaughtered her people. Now she’s a slave in the house of one of the most powerful warlords of their time: Timur Khan, lord of the Kipchak. But when the Kipchak Khanate is invaded and its army destroyed Jinghua must follow Timur and his son Khalaf as they escape their conquered kingdom if she is to have any chance of returning to her own home.
But when Khalaf enters a deadly game to win the hand of a powerful princess, everything changes. Turandokht is treacherous, beautiful, and heir to the Mongol Empire. The man who weds her will be the next Great Khan, the catch? He must first solve three impossible riddles, or die trying. Soon Jinghua is forced to make an impossible choice: betray the boy she has grown to love, or give him up to the princess who would rather be his death than his bride.

Bookish Boyfriends by Tiffany Schmidt

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Bookish Boyfriends, by Tiffany Schmidt, is a modern day combination of Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Prejudice. A mix of all the chaos, surprises, and romance of those two masterpieces. This book is relatable and insightful by letting you identify with the characters of old stories. It is about a high school girl trying to find her own story.
In Bookish Boyfriends, Merrilee Campbell is obsessed with books. All her free time is spent reading and summarizing her stories to her two loyal best friends, Eliza and Toby, and basically anyone who is around to hear it. Merrilee always talks about how boys are so much better in books than in real life. Until one day, she meets a mysterious boy at her new high school who seems suspiciously like Romeo. Merrilee thinks Romeo and Juliet is the greatest love story of all time. She wanders through the halls wondering if she will ever be his Juliet. Is this her story?
This never before seen combination of two classics has all the right components. If you are a fan of Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, or romance in general, you will love this book. It’s a perfect read for people trying to find their own stories, and their own bookish boyfriends.

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Twelve Steps to Normal

After her father was sent to a rehab, Kira was sent to live with her aunt in Seattle, leaving behind everything and everyone she loves. Now she’s back to her old town and her father, wanting for everything – from her relationship with her dad to her bond with her friends – to go back to normal. But she soon realizes, despite her hopes, it’s not going to be easy to pick up where she left off.
Her dad invites three friends from the rehab – Nonnie, an old lady who, later on in the book, starts to almost fill the gap that Kira’s grandmother left after she died, Peach, who is a motherly type and cooks some delicious food, and Saylor who helps Kira with her homework and is working hard to become a yoga instructor – are living in her house when she gets home and are trying to put their lives back together as well. She is freaked out, for two reasons. First, she wants to be able to trust her father again and now three strangers are living with them, and second, if her social worker found out, Kira fears she would be sent away again.
Her three best friends are mad at her for not trying to stay in contact with them after she left, and totally neglecting their effort in trying to reach out for her (who can blame them), so there’s definitely a huge hole she needs to climb herself out of. Oh right, also, one of her best friends has started dating her ex-boyfriend, Jay, who Kira was madly in love with. This plot-twist definitely spices up the drama in the book. And of course, there’s sweet, caring Alex, who probably is the only normal person in her life, since her return, but her growing feelings for him, and her old feelings for Jay puts her, as well the readers, in a dilemma, though the answer becomes super obvious mid-way of the book.
As she starts to settle back into her life, and accept the changes around her. We see a development in Kira’s character as well as her relationship with the people in her life. The book also sheds light on the enormity of alcoholism, but rather than describing the darker aspects, it emphasizes on the lighter, more hopeful side of it, which brings the whole story to a bittersweet ending.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

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When Miles asked his parents to send him to his father’s old boarding school, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. All he was looking for was an escape from the loneliness and drudgery of his everyday life and judging by his fathers wild stories, Culver Creek might be just what he’s looking for. And if he isn’t the most experienced in the wild shenanigans his dad described, well, its high school, what’s the worst that could happen?
What Miles didn’t anticipate was his new roommate Chip, who calls himself the Colonel. The Colonel introduces Miles— newly nicknamed Pudge, to a secret world of midnight pranks, bad alcohol and forbidden adventures. And at the center of it all is Alaska Young; clever, daring, unpredictable, gorgeous Alaska Young.
Looking for Alaska is— surprisingly— among the most insightful and intense books I have encountered in YA literature. Looking for Alaska is, in a way, a more modern and well written version of A Catcher in the Rye, with language and experiences that the twenty first century teen will understand and identify with. Whether you’re a teacher looking for an interesting and meaningful story for your students, or a teen yourself, Looking for Alaska is a fascinating and philosophical story filled with vivid characters and an intriguing plot.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

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Simon Spier is just your typical teenager. He has a small group of close friends, gets good grades, plays small roles in the school musical, oh, and he’s gay. And nobody else knows. Nobody that is except Blue, the guy he’s been secretly emailing since August. Blue’s also gay, also in the closet, also at Shady Creek High, also the perfect guy for Simon. The only problem is that neither of them has a clue who the other is. And Blue wants to keep it that way. Which Simon is okay with. Totally

Things get even more complicated when Martin finds out Simon and Blue’s secret. Martin has a crush on Simon’s friend Abby, and if getting a date with her means blackmailing Simon into setting them up, then so be it. Now Simon must find a way to help Martin get what he wants, or face the consequences.

Soon to be made into a major motion picture, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a wonderful coming-of-age style book with a wide and varied cast of characters. The reader will find themselves relating to Simon, to his friends, the mysterious Blue, and even Martin. Between the friendships, the secrets, and the way other kids handle learning that Simon is gay, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a well written and timely novel for teens to read.