Reviews: Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves & Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde

This year's Nerds Heart YA has just about done me in. I'm a couple days late reporting my bracket, but I blame the books. I was given two great but totally different books to review, and the decision hasn't been easy.

Before I talk about the books, let me tell you about the Nerds Heart YA. This bracket-style competition brings attention to books that deserve more buzz and "feature characters, or are penned by authors, who fall within the following categories: Person(s) of Color (POC), GLBT, Disability, Mental Illness, Religious Lifestyle, Lower Socioeconomic Status, and Plus-Size."

Bleeding Violet, the debut novel of Dia Reeves, focuses on sixteen-year-old Hanna Järvinen, half-Finnish and half-African American who was rejected by her mother from birth. Hanna lived with her father, Joosef, in Finland and in Dallas, Texas, until his death, after which she moved in with her paternal aunt. When Aunt Ulla reveals her intention of permanently committing Hanna, who has bipolar disease, to a mental institution, the teen hits her over the head with a rolling pin and hitchhikes to Portero, Texas, hoping her mother (whom she's never met) will take her in.

Catherine Ryan Hyde's Jumpstart the World also centers around a sixteen-year-old. Elle is moving into a new apartment and will be attending a new school. Her mother found the apartment and arranged for the movers. Nothing too different here . . . except Elle's mother is not moving with her daughter. Instead, she's going back home to her new man, who doesn't want to have a teenager in the house and who thinks Elle's old school is too expensive. Thus the teen finds herself alone and on her own. Fortunately, the nice neighbors, Frank and Molly, are friendly and Elle manages to meet a few kids on her first day of school.

Both books deal with mother-daughter issues, abandonment, and adjusting to a new home, but that's pretty much the end of their similarities. Hanna has been diagnosed with bipolar disease and doesn't always take her medication. When she is off her meds, she hallucinates and talks with her dead father, making her an unreliable narrator. Things get complicated when she moves to Portero because not all of what Hanna sees is the result of her illness. The town is a portal (thus its name) to other worlds and other creatures, who are none too friendly to humans. Hanna's mother is sure her daughter will be killed and wants her as far away from danger as possible. When Hanna proves tougher than anyone could imagine, she is allowed to stay and learn the secrets of the town. The major themes in Bleeding Violet--a surprisingly deep, fast-paced, and well-written paranormal--are mental illness, racial identity, maternal abandonment, and death.

Elle's mother leaves her for a man and seems little concerned for daughter's safety. Elle's angry behavior and distrust of others is understandable, and the teen often behaves in ways she knows will upset her mother and will keep others at bay. At school, she falls in with the crowd of kids who are on the outside or are different in some way (including sexual identity), and at home she finds herself developing a crush on her neighbor Frank. When an accident reveals Frank's transgender nature, Elle is confused and feels betrayed. Ultimately, she must find a way to look beyond the surface and learn the importance of acceptance, true friendship, and love. The major themes in Jumpstart the World--a somewhat predictable contemporary novel--are sexual identity, abandonment, and self-acceptance.

The Winner: Choosing between these books was difficult, but ultimately Bleeding Violet is the novel that must move on in the bracket contest. The world building, strong female lead, and gripping plot make this book a winner. One of the refreshing aspects of the novel is the idea that being normal and fitting in are relative things and may depend on where you are, who you know, and what else is going on around you.

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
Published by Simon Pulse, 2010
ISBN-13: 9781416986195

Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2010
ISBN-13: 9780375866654

Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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Reviews: The Rock and the River by Magoon & Almost Perfect by Katcher

As I announced last month, I was honored to be asked to be a first-round judge in this year's Nerds Heart YA tournament. The books I read were The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon and Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher. The choice between these two excellent novels was not easy, but I did pick one to move on to the next round.

Rather than publishing two reviews in my usual style, I will give you an idea of what each book is about and then present a brief comparison and announce the winner.

The Rock and the River takes place in 1968--the year of Martin Luther King Jr.'s and Robert Kennedy's assassinations, the year of student unrest, and the year of riots in many big cities across the United States. Thirteen-year-old Sam Childs is the son of a civil rights leader who is a friend of Dr. King and who preaches nonviolence. Sam finds it difficult to live up to his father's turn-the-other cheek principles in the face of blatant racism. Meanwhile, Sam's older brother, Spike, has decided to join the Black Panthers, an often-misunderstood activist group that was not afraid to resort to violence.

Maroon brings the deep prejudices of the time out into the open and shows that there was conflict within the civil rights movement itself, with peaceful demonstrations on one end and the rioting and pipe bombs on the other. Sam, much too young to chose sides, is caught between his father's and his brother's ideals. He is on the brink of young adulthood and must pick a path after witnessing the worst that the city of Chicago had to offer a young black teen in the late 1960s.

The Rock and the River at an Indie

The Rock and the River at Powell's
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Published by Simon & Schuster / Aladdin, 2009
ISBN-13: 9781416975823
Challenges: 2010, new author, 100+
YTD: 55
Source: Bought (see review policy)
Rating: B

Almost Perfect takes place in modern times and focuses on an issue that is not often written about, especially for a young adult audience. Logan Witherspoon starts his senior year in high school just a few days after his long-time girlfriend admits that she has slept with another boy, thus ending their relationship. Logan is not looking for another girlfriend, but when Sage, a new student at their small-town Missouri high school, sits down next to him in biology class, he feels the attraction. She is pretty, funny, tall, and very different from any girl he has ever known.

It is clear, however, that Sage is hiding a secret. And when she finally tells Logan that she was born a male and has not yet undergone transforming surgery, Logan has absolutely no clue how to react and how to deal with the knowledge. Vacillating between self-loathing, disgust, hate, confusion, sympathy, and love, Logan must decide just what kind of friend he will be for Sage.

Almost Perfect at an Indie

Almost Perfect at Powell's
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Published by Random House / Delacorte, 2009
ISBN-13: 9780385736640
Challenges: eBook, 100+
YTD: 56
Source: Bought (see review policy)
Rating: B+

Comparison & Winner
Both books are coming-of-age stories, and each revolves around the larger issues of personal freedom, tolerance, and understanding. Sam and Logan, however, are at different ends of the spectrum. Sam wants equality for himself and others like him; Logan is scrambling to find a way to open his heart and keep it open. In neither case is the path clear. Furthermore, although both Sam and Logan have present and caring parents, each feels the need to find his own destiny.

The Rock and the River is important because it is all too easy to see the strides that have been made instead of the work that still must be done in the name of civil rights, not just for blacks but for most minorities. Unfortunately, Maroon presents only two movements within the black community of the 1960s. Almost Perfect addresses an issue that is little discussed but is no less demanding of our understanding. Transgenderism must be a painfully confusing situation for a young person and his or her family and friends. Katcher explores several reactions to Sage's sexual identity and makes it clear that at present there is no easy or happy solution.

It is my job to pick one of these young adult novels to move to the next bracket in the Nerds Heart YA tournament. This was not an easy choice, but I picked Almost Perfect because it focuses on a situation that is often ignored and because it deals with transgenderism in a sensitive and believable way. We need more young adult novels to help teenagers understand the biological and psychological aspects of sexuality and to offer a basis for further discussion.

Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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Becoming a Judge: Nerds Heart YA

Do you know about the Nerds Heart YA tournament for underrepresented young adult literature? If not, be sure take a moment to click on over to the tournament blog for more information.

The topic this year is diversity, and the books had to have been originally published in 2009. I'm pleased to have been asked to be a first-level judge for the tournament. Here are the books I'll be reading:

A Wish after Midnight by Zetta Elliot.

Genna is a fifteen-year-old girl who wants out of her tough Brooklyn neighborhood. But she gets more than she bargained for when a wish gone awry transports her back in time. Facing the perilous realities of Civil War-era Brooklyn, Genna must use all her wits to survive. In the tradition of Octavia Butler’s Kindred and Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, A Wish After Midnight is the affecting and inspiring tale of a fearless young woman’s fight to hold on to her individuality and her humanity in two different worlds.

I like time travel stories and I like the Civil War setting, so that's two pluses right off the bat. The negative is that the book was self-published, which is sometimes a problem for me. Based on the great reviews I've seen, I'm have high hopes.

Published by AmazonEncore
ISBN-13: 9780982555057

The Rock and the River by Kekla Morgan

Set in 1968 Chicago, this powerful debut novel follows 13-year-old Sam Childs, the son of a known civil rights activist who questions the possibility of change after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I grew up in the Midwest and remember 1968, so I should be able to relate to the novel. I've read that the book paints a bit of an idealistic picture of the Black Panthers, but that a well-written author's note fills in the historical details.

Published by Aladdin Paperbacks
ISBN-13: 9781416978039

The books are ordered and will be waiting for me after BEA. Have you read or heard of either of the novels?

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