"Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell

I might be a little late to the Rainbow Rowell fan club, but I've got to say that I'm absolutely hooked after reading Fangirl.  I gave serious consideration to immediately re-reading the book once I finished it, but my pile of "books to be read" is just so huge at this point that I was forced to move on.

Meet Cath, an 18 year old starting her freshman year of college.  Her twin sister has abandoned her to meet new people, her roommate is less than polite and has an overly friendly boyfriend, her dad isn't coping well with the whole "empty nest" thing, and her fiction writing professor constantly expects more from her.  All Cath really wants to do is disappear into the world of fanfiction where she's most comfortable.  She's already gained a little bit of fame on the Simon Snow (world-wide literary phenomenon--picture Harry Potter) forums.  Fanfiction is what helped her cope with her mother leaving, created a stronger sisterly bond with her twin, and provided the inspiration for her chosen field of study.  Faced with a new life outside of her comfort zone, Cath will have to choose between moving forward in the real world or continuing to hide in the fanfiction world.

Rowell has a real talent for creating characters so life-like that you almost believe they are people you know.  The dialogue that flies back and forth between certain characters is so realistic and true to the college experience (or at least my college experience) that I was constantly telling people, "Here, just listen to this, I have to read it to you."  Perhaps most impressive was the amount of work and planning that evidently went into setting up a fictional Harry Potter-esque franchise as part of the backdrop for this book.  "Excerpts" and plot points from the Simon Snow series are sprinkled throughout which further sucks the reader into the book.  I actually did a web search to see if Simon Snow was a real series just to make sure I wasn't missing something.  I also appreciated the fact that this is a true young adult novel.  While I do enjoy a good teeny-bopper book, Fangirl  is definitely written for a slightly more mature audience (I'd probably recommend to ages 16+) and I found that really refreshing.

Grace gives this book 5 out of 5 carrots!

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"The Diviners" by Libba Bray

When looking for a good book to kick off my summer reading, I searched through my "Books to Read" list (an Excel spreadsheet on my laptop complete with the title, author, date I heard about it, and whether or not I already own it, I kid you not) and decided it was time to give The Diviners a try.  I'd read several of Bray's other books before and loved them, so I wasn't surprised that I enjoyed the book.  I was shocked however by how quickly I was hooked and deeply I was engaged by the end of the first chapter.

It's 1926 and Evie O'Neill, the very definition of a flapper girl, has been exiled from her hometown in Ohio to the bustling streets of New York City (poor thing!) after making an enemy of the town's golden boy while drunk at a party.  She is sent to live with her Uncle Will, a curator for the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult, who has been asked to give the police an assist in solving a string of grisly murders.  Evie convinces her uncle to let her use her ability to read people's pasts while holding an object of their possession to help him in the investigations.  Bray creates a fantastic company of characters to support Evie in her quest for answers, including a mysterious assistant at the museum, a numbers runner in Harlem who dreams of becoming famous through his poetry, a Ziegfield Follies girl on the run from her past, a rakish pickpocket, and Evie's more traditional best friend, Mabel. Now Evie and the rest of the cast must solve the mystery behind the murders before the killer has a chance to unleash some real evil into this world.

What impressed me the most about this book is the way Bray is able to seamlessly weave together multiple points of view from the different characters to create a narrative that is both snappy with that Roaring 20s vibe and hauntingly suspenseful.  There were times where I was compelled to read far later than originally intended because I had  to know what happened next.  Bray also does a fantastic job of bringing her diverse cast of characters to life.  There are only a few books that I have read where I have felt as though I truly know a character from their motivations to their mannerisms, and this is one of those books.  While this book is not for the faint of heart, I would recommend The Diviners to teen readers and those who enjoy being completely engrossed in a fantastic story.

Grace gives this book five out of five carrots!

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"Inside Out & Back Again" by Thanhha Lai

There is nothing better than falling in love with an assigned reading for one of your college courses which is exactly what happened to me when I was "forced" to read Inside Out and Back Again for my Children's Literature course.  This 2012 Newbery Honor book is actually a collection of poems (à la Love that Dog by Sharon Creech) and follows the story of 10-year-old Hà and her family as they flee from Saigon to Alabama when the city falls to the North Vietnamese.  Hà loves her native Saigon from the sweet snacks and smells found in the market to the papaya tree she grows in her backyard.  She lives with her three older brothers and her mother; her father was taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese several years ago and is classified as MIA.  When Saigon does fall to the North, Hà and her family escape the city by ship and immigrate to Alabama where they must learn a new language and new customs.

I think what I loved most about this book was Hà's poetic style.  Many of her poems were witty and clever with a strong and natural 10-year-old voice, and some of them were truly heartbreaking.  As the book is based off of real events from the author's (Thannha Lai) life, it is no surprise that he is able to capture the images and emotions that come with being forced to flee one's homeland with truthful clarity.  I have always been interested in the Vietnam War era, but had only really read accounts from United States citizens.  This novel brought a whole new perspective to that time period for me.  I would recommend this quick read for ages nine and up, especially those readers who are historical fiction fans or have a particular affinity for the Vietnam War era.

Grace gives this book five out of five carrots!

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