Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

Title: Out Of My Mind

Author: Sharon M. Draper

Publisher: Atheneum

Release Date: March 9, 2010

Date Read: January 20 - 21, 2011

Rating: 4/5 stars

Goodreads

Summary

Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school—but no one knows it. Most people—her teachers and doctors included—don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write.

Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind—that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it.

From multiple Coretta Scott King Award winner Sharon M. Draper comes a story full of heartache and hope. Get ready to meet a girl whose voice you'll never, ever forget.

Review

I really enjoyed this novel. Over the past few months I've happened to read quite a few novels about mental disabilities and illness but rarely do I read one about a physical disability. There are a few teenagers at my school with cerebral palsy and I have never thought of them as people capable of normal mental function with simply a body that doesn't work. (Taking into account that  Melody's mental function is above average and unrealistic). This book changed my perspective of how I treat and relate to disabled people; I will try harder to be polite and treat them with more respect rather than just ignoring them in the hallways.

I found many of the characters in the novel to be unrealistic and one-dimensional and was originally going to give the book 3/5 stars instead, but figured that was a bit harsh due to the other wonderful aspects of the novel. I would definitely characterize this as a young-adult rather than middle-grade novel because I think young adults would be able to empathize/sympathize more with the situation looking back on our own middle grade experiences than someone currently attending that school. 

Favourite Quote: "How could she understand that I loved the song 'Elvira' by the Oak Ridge Boys when I barely understood it myself? I had no way to explain how I could smell freshly sliced lemons and see citrus-toned musical notes in my head as it played. If I had a paintbrush...wow! What a painting that would be!"

Recommended: The View From Saturday (E.L. Konisburg), Reaching for Sun (Tracie Vaughn Zimmer), Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson), Double Dutch (Sharon M. Draper), Marcelo in the Real World (Francisco X. Stork)

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Title: Impulse

Author: Ellen Hopkins

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Release Date: January 23, 2007

Date Read: January 15 - 18, 2011

Rating: 4/5 stars

Goodreads

Summary

Aspen Springs Psychiatric Hospital is a place for people who have played the ultimate endgame. The suicide attempt survivors portrayed in this novel tell starkly different stories, but these three embattled teens share a desperate need for a second chance. Ellen Hopkins, the author of Glass and Crank, presents another jarring, ultimately uplifting story about young people crawling back from a precipice.

Review

I really enjoyed Impulse, but that was sort of expected. Ellen Hopkin's novels always manage to strike a chord with me. Most readers can relate to at least one aspect of her novel: the controversial issues, a character, a situation or setting, or simply feeling as though their diary looks an awful lot like Ellen's pages. As always I thought her use of poetry and page editing added to the feeling of the book: the strict columns helped enforce the feeling of a psychiatric ward where everything must be in its place, but it was easy to distinguish dialogue between characters. After recently seeing a play about teenage suicide I sympathized with the main characters and felt like their attempts were handled in a very mature, realistic manner. It's often shown in today's society that people attempt suicide because they are bullied or feel neglected by friends, but in fact there can be several other underlying issues. Overall, yet another stellar teen novel by Ellen Hopkins. 

Favourite Quote: "My happiest memories have no place in the past; they are those I have yet to create."

Recommended: Thirteen Reasons Why (Jay Asher), Teach Me (R.A. Nelson), Cut (Patricia McCormick), Burned (Ellen Hopkins), Get Well Soon (Julie Halpern), Nineteen Minutes (Jodi Picoult)

Dancing Naked by Shelley Hrdlitschka

Title: Dancing Naked

Author: Shelley Hrdlitschka

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers

Publication Date: March 1, 2002

Date Read: January 13 - 14, 2011

Rating: 3/5 stars

Goodreads

Summary

Kia is sixteen and pregnant. Her world crumbles as she attempts to come to terms with the life growing inside her and what she must do. Initially convinced that abortion is her only option, Kia comes to understand that for her, the answers are not always black and white. As the pregnancy progresses, Kia discovers who her real friends are and where their loyalties lie. It is through her relationship with the elderly Grace that she learns what it means to take responsibility for one's life and the joy that can come from trusting oneself. Faced with the most difficult decision of her life, Kia learns that the path to adulthood is not the easily navigable trail she once thought, but a twisting labyrinth where every turn produces a new array of choices, and where the journey is often undertaken alone.

Dancing Naked is Shelley Hrdlitschka's third novel for young adults and her most ambitious and emotionally revealing to date. Pulling no punches, she covers some of the last taboo territory in teen fiction, sensitively and without sensationalism.

Review

Interesting novel. I've read quite a few teen pregnancy books before but this one was definitely different, mainly because it discussed so many other topics such as inter-generational relationships, homosexuality, religion, adoption, and interracial relationships. While I appreciated all these topics being discussed I felt like the novel was a bit of a mixed bag, as if the author was sort of searching for more topics to include. I had also never read a book where abortion was considered and thought that Shelley handled it quite well. I found quite a few of the characters unrealistic (such as Derek and Kia's mom) but found Kia herself to be quite realistic. She was annoying, irresponsible, attention-seeking, but I found those qualities to be quite expected from a pregnant teen (not at all insinuating that all pregnant teens act this way). 

One of the main reasons I wanetd to read this book and put it on my 100-in-2011 was because I love to support Canadian authors. Usually left in the dust while international bloggers support UK, Australian, and American authors, Canadians are dying for support beyond Canada's borders. I'm hoping to feature as many Canadian books as possible to promote them globally. All of the Canadian books I read will have a "Canadian" tag on them, be sure to check them out!

Recommended: Sister Wife (Shelley Hrdlitschka), Someone Like You (Sarah Dessen), Forever (Judy Blume), & My Darling My Hamburger (Paul Zindel). If you want more recommendations, post in the comments or send me an email!

Wide Awake by David Levithan

Title: Wide Awake

Author: David Levithan

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: September 12, 2006

Date Read: January 6 - 9, 2011

Rating: 3/5 stars

Goodreads

Summary

In the not-too-impossible-to-imagine future, a gay Jewish man has been elected president of the United States. Until the governor of one state decides that some election results in his state are invalid, awarding crucial votes to the other candidate, and his fellow party member. Thus is the inspiration for couple Jimmy and Duncan to lend their support to their candidate by deciding to take part in the rallies and protests. Along the way comes an exploration of their relationship, their politics, and their country, and sometimes, as they learn, it's more about the journey than it is about reaching the destination.

Only David Levithan could so masterfully and creatively weave together a plot that's both parts political action and reaction, as well as a touching and insightfully-drawn teen love story.

Review

Oh wow! I've had this new habit of not reading anything about the books I'm about to read so the plot and characters are a surprise. I honestly had no idea what this would be about, though I presumed LGBTQ rights would be involved at some point. Loved it! Such a range of topics from politics, gay rights activism, religion, consumerism, teenage behaviour, etc. I hope that everyone who reads this book can sympathize/empathize/relate to at least one character or situation in this novel. My favourite part was the descriptions of Kansas during the rallies, not only did it make me feel like I was present but it inspired me to participate in such rallies when I'm older. Great book!

Recommended: Little Brother (Cory Doctorow), How They Met & Other Stories (David Levithan), Keeping You a Secret (Julie Anne Peters), Brave New World (Aldous Huxley). If you want more recommendations, post in the comments or send me an email!

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

Title: The Running Dream

Author: Wendelin Van Draanen

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: January 11, 2011 (ARC)

Date Read: January 2 - 4, 2011 

Rating: 4/5 stars

Goodreads

Summary

Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run?

As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don't know what to say, act like she's not there. Which she could handle better if she weren't now keenly aware that she'd done the same thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she's missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her.

With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that's not enough for her now. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.

Review

Really enjoyed it! I've never read a book about an amputee before and my knowledge of amputations is generally limited to Terry Fox, so it was really eye-opening. The book seemed incredibly realistic both with her romance, her injury and subsequent physical therapy/prosthetics, and schooling. I didn't really have any expectations but either way Wendelin van Draanen definitely delivered. 

Recommended: A Time for Dancing (Davida Wills Hurwin), Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (Chris Crutcher), Soul Surfer (Bethany Hamilton).

Sold by Patricia McCormick

Title: Sold
Author: Patricia McCormick
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: September 15, 2006
Date Read: January 1, 2011
Rating: 3/5 stars
Goodreads


Summary
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut on a mountain in Nepal. Though she is desperately poor, her life is full of simple pleasures, like playing hopscotch with her best friend from school, and having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family’s crops, Lakshmi’s stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family. 


He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi journeys to India and arrives at “Happiness House” full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution.


Written in spare and evocative vignettes, this powerful novel renders a world that is as unimaginable as it is real, and a girl who not only survives but triumphs.


Review
Rather enjoyed it. Handled the subject matter well; not too graphic, not too childlike. The ending felt a tad unrealistic to me. 


Recommended: If you like Ellen Hopkins, Deborah Ellis, or Carrie Mac; current affairs and controversial issues; multiculturalism and international novels.