Hold Still by Nina LaCour

Rating: 6 out of 10

Caitlin and Ingrid have been best friends forever–the kind of best friends who are joined at the hip, tell each other all their secrets, and sort of live in their own little world.

After Ingrid’s unexpected suicide, Caitlin is left drifting.  When school starts, she has no drive for anything, not even her photography class, which used to be her favorite period in school. What’s worse, her photography teacher, Ms. Delani, who used to encourage Caitlin immensely in her artistic efforts, seems completely uninterested in anything Caitlin feels or has to say about the aftermath of Ingrid’s death.

Hold Still chronicles Caitlin’s reemergence over the school year. Slowly she comes out of her shell thanks to Dylan, a transfer student who is the first openly lesbian girl at Caitlin’s small town high school, and by reading Ingrid’s journal.

Ingrid’s journal, apparently purposefully left behind in Caitlin’s room, chronicles her descent into depression, problems with her medication, her heartbreak over boys, and her unwillingness to let anyone know how sad she was truly feeling.

I thought LaCour did a fairly good job creating a narrative around the issue of teenage suicide, and Caitlin’s reactions and her recovery seemed realistic and was paced well. I liked the pages of Ingrid’s journal placed throughout the novel, and the ending was good.

I didn’t think the relationship between Caitiln and her photography teacher Ms. Delani was at all realistic–and whenever Ms. Delani spoke her dialogue sounded like it had been straight lifted out of an art criticism review or a teaching manual. She wasn’t real to me, and didn’t make as much of an impact as I feel the author tried to have her be.

I know this novel is aimed towards younger (middle school) readers but it still seemed a little simplistic to me at times. It didn’t really engage me all that well, hence the lower rating and why it took me so long to finish.

Upcoming Reviews

I just received two Advance Readers Copies, both from Penguin Young Readers Group! Exciting. They are Hold Still by Nina LaCour, and The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.

Some summaries from the back covers:

HOLD STILL — That night Ingrid told Caitling, I’ll go wherever you go. But by dawn Ingrid, and her promise, were gone, and Caitlin was alone. Ingrid’s suicide immobilizes Caitlin, leaving her unsure of her place in a new life she hardly recognizes. A life without the art, the laughter, the music, the joy that she shared with her best friend.

But Ingrid left more than a memory behind. Devastating and hopeful, playful and hopeless. In words and drawings, Ingrid documented a painful farewell in her jounral–just for Caitlin. Journeying through Ingrid’s final days, Caitlin fights back through unspeakable loss to find renewed hope.

A breakthrough new voice in fiction, Nina LaCour brings the changing seasons of Caitlin’s first year without Ingrid to the page with indelible emotion and honesty.

THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE — When her fiery older sister Bailey dies abruptly, seventeen-year-old Lennie, bookworm and band geek, is catapulted to center stage of her own life–and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lenni’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Pairs whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.

Both of these novels seem to be sort of middle/junior high level books dealing with more serious subjects.

Reviews soon.

Ice Land by Betsy Tobin

Rating: 8 out of 10

Ice Land combines the gods of Norse mythology with the everyday lives of ordinary humans living in Iceland around 1000 CE, and the story itself was just as lovely as the paperback cover.

Fulla is coming into her own as a young woman living on her moderately wealthy grandfather’s farm. She’s pretty and she knows the practical things like making a meal and riding a horse. Looming in her near future is a betrothal which, as Icelandic society dictates, will be decided by her grandfather, since both her parents are dead. But this isn’t what Fulla wants.

She craves the unexpected. Each day, she rides her horse across pock-marked fields of blackened lava to the hot pool, her servant Helga two strides behind. And each day, she prays her life will somehow burst its narrow banks.

But the gods do not listen

Her future was set out long ago, like runes carved in stone. She will reach the age of consent, marry a man of her grandfather’s choosing, and bear him as many sons as she can endure. She will watch her boys grow into stout young men, learn to wield the sword and axe, and die violent deaths. Just as her father did.

Her father, Jarl, died in a land dispute against their neighbor, another large farm-owner named Skallagrim. This fighting and dueling has been going on for as long as Fulla can remember, and her grandfather, Hogni, has become bitter about the conflict, wishing only to enjoy his dwindling days as an old man.

Fulla encounters Vili, son of the enemy Skallagrim clan, through several escapades and a bond forms between the two young people, an impossible bond because of their shared history and the fact that Fulla will soon be betrothed and married to a man of her grandfather’s choosing.

In an alternating narrative, Freya, the famous Norse goddess of love, hears a prophecy and travels to the land of the dwarves in order to search out a mysterious golden necklace which will supposedly help her with a looming and deadly catastrophe: the volcano Hekla has been rumbling and causing earthquakes in the land of Asgard, and promises destruction in the near future. Freya has loved and lost in her own time, and knows that her race, the race of the “gods,” is a petty, jealous, and shallow group. Christianity is growing on Iceland, and the old gods are getting pushed backed.

I wasn’t entirely sure what exactly Ice Land would be all about–the summary provided on the back wasn’t very descriptive–and I admit, shallowly, that I picked it up because the cover was pretty, and also because I haven’t had much exposure to Norse mythology and I thought it would be interesting to learn something about it.

I feel like, all in all, the plot itself wasn’t spectacular–not particularly adventurous or exciting, but the characters themselves and Tobin’s writing created a different world. Tobin follows that writer’s maxim, “Show, don’t tell,” perfectly. She didn’t have to say “Fulla is a teenager and can be a little bit rebellious, but she’s also fairly intelligent and practical, she observes the world around her and understands a lot.” Tobin showed it through her narrative which allows the reader to get to know the characters as people, and not as little bits of text printed on a page. She did this with all the characters, and also with the way she described Icelandic culture and life.

Sometimes the alternating narrative thing doesn’t work out too well for me–usually I become more interested in one than the other. But in this case I enjoyed how everything was very balanced and and came together really well. Fulla and Freya both kept me interested.

Here was a great bit from Freya, Norse goddess of love:

Cats, I decided, had certain advantages over men. They were loyal without being sycophantic, independent without being absent, and affectionate without being rapacious. That they choke up balls of fur and leave dead rodents at my feet is unfortunate. But it is not grounds for divorce.

I was very engrossed by Ice Land, it was beautiful and mythical and I will be reading more from Betsy Tobin in the future.

Currently

Currently reading:
Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones (re read)
Ice Land by Betsy Tobin (new, recently published)

I leave for college in a few days and will have to leave my local library system (where I get 98% of books) and my own bookshelves. I stopped in at Half-Price Books today and picked up 5 paperbacks for $4 total, don’t know how long they will last!

I hope to finish reading & reviewing the two above before I leave.

Floodland by Marcus Sedgwick

Rating: 7 out of 10

Zoe was born into a world of floods. All the land on earth is slowly being eaten up by the rising sea–her parents tell her things were not always like this: people didn’t used to have to scavenge in broken buildings for food, there used to be land all around, land so far as the eye could see, where you could walk for days on end and not reach the ocean. On the little island of Norwich, which is becoming smaller and smaller every day, Zoe and her parents try to live a normal life. Zoe’s dad teaches her to row, something he tells her might come in use one day.

Their small family tries to leave the island on the last supply ship to come from the “mainland,” but in the confusion and melee, Zoe is left behind on Norwich. Time passes and things get more and more desperate for Zoe living on her own, but one miraculous day she finds a boat–more precious than gold and diamonds in her world. She manages to escape Norwich and rows towards where she believes the mainland, and her parents, might be.

However, Zoe ends up on Eel island, a little lump of land even smaller than Norwich. The “eels,” as they call themselves, are a bunch of raggedy kids led by a charismatic boy named Dooby–things are even more savage and uncilivized here, and Zoe despairs of ever finding her parents again…

Sedgwick writes speculatively about the future of the earth after global warming, and its effect on ordinary citizens in the UK. His style is very simplistic and a little eerie, especially concerning the subject manner. This also a re-read, I think I first read it when I was younger, and was going through my apocalyptic, end-of-the-world, doomsday and hellfire reading phase. It’s very short, about a hundred pages.

Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones

Rating: 8 out of 10

Imagine a vacation through a fantasy world, where you and your fellow tourists are led through a magical land by a Wizard Guide, one who can actually do magic and has a great long beard, as all wizards are supposed to. On the way, you get to meet bloodthirsty pirates, listen to wisdom from great Dragons, fight an Epic Battle, get attacked by Winged Minions, encounter a Glamorous Enchantress, and finally meet and defeat the terrible Dark Lord! At the end of your tour, you can travel through a portal back to your own universe of cars, technology, and jobs.  Sounds fun, right?

Mr. Chesney’s Pilgrim Parties bring people from our own world into an alternate universe where they can experience the traditional trappings of Fantasy. However, it’s all just a great act.

Derk is a wizard–but he’s not a very good one by your traditional definitions. Not great at conjuring illusions are doing normal wizardly stuff–but he’s good at magical genetic engineering, and he has 7 children with his wife, a witch named Mara. Two are human, and five of them are griffins. Unfortunately for Derk, this year he has been chosen to play the part of the Dark Lord, and according to the rules set by Mr. Chesney, he must raise a devestating Army of Evil (who are actually bespelled criminals donated by the country of England), turn his cozy house into a Dark Citadel, and summon an evil demon, all for the entertainment of the tourists. His human son, Blade, has been chosen to be a Wizard Guide, and his wife to be the Glamorous Enchantress. Everyone must play their parts, or risk the wrath of Mr. Chesney.

The Pilgrim Party tours are devestating to Derk’s world–farmland is trampled, villages are destroyed, and for some odd reason all of the magic in his universe is steadily draining away. Everybody hates Mr. Chesney, but no one can do anything about it because he is backed by a great and powerful demon.

Derk and his family must try to complete their tasks and at the same time find a way out of this horrible mess. Unfortunately Derk is laid out in a coma after a nasty encounter with a fire-breathing dragon, and his kids must shoulder the burden of the Dark Lord’s job.

I thought this was when it got most interesting. I highly enjoyed it when Jones began writing about Derk’s human and griffin children, running around trying to plan an Epic Battle against the Forces of Good (who are outnumbered, but still required to win according to the Mr. Chesney’s rules). There was a lot of understated humor and each of the chidlren has their own distinct personality. Shona, the eldest, is incredibly bossy and wants to become a Bard and play music for the rest of her life. Kit is a black griffin, arrogant, aggressive, and really enjoys planning the Epic Battle. Blade, Derk’s human son, runs around trying to keep everything together–he’s in his mid-teens I guess, and has to grow a beard for his job as Wizard Guide. Good thing he has magic to accomplish this for him. Callette is creative and techy, Lydda loves to cook , and Elda is the baby.

The Dark Lord of Derkholm is a re-read for me, part of my DWJ binge, and has a pseudo-sequel, Year of the Griffin, which focuses mostly on Elda 8 years after the events of Derkholm. I also plan on re-reading that soon, I faintly remember that I liked it more than Derkhom, which is saying a lot because I quite enjoyed this one. It’s hard to explain why I like Diana Wynne Jones’ writing so much–its just the way everything happens, and then comes together in the end. It’s funny and original and you don’t read anything like it anywhere else.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Rating: 8 out of 10

I first read Howl’s Moving Castle in the 3rd or 4th grade, can’t really remember, and after reading House of Many Ways, reviewed in the previous post, I wanted to read it again! In reality this is probably the third or fourth time I’ve re-read it…

Sophie Hatter is doomed to a normal and boring life. As the eldest of three girls, she knows that her future will not include a charming prince, fabulous riches, or any magical ability–as everyone knows from the old fairytales, adventures are always left to the youngest of 3 siblings. Even worse, her family is actually quite prosperous, not poor and hungry like all the stories say one must be in order to go on a quest and having a happy ending. Her stepmother Fanny, really isn’t the least bit evil, and treats Sophie as if she were her own natural daughter.

Things change when Sophie’s father dies and leaves some debt to his family; in order to keep everything running, Fanny sends the two younger girls out to apprenticeships–Lettie (the 2nd oldest sister) to a bakery, and Martha (the youngest, and the one with the most chance of making her fortune) to a witch named Mrs. Fairfax in order to learn magic. Sophie stays on  at the family’s hat shop, where she makes hats all day and generally lives a dull existence. She starts talking to her hats in order to pass the time, and her hats eventually become extremely popular. Popular enough to attract the attention of the Witch of the Waste, who sweeps in and places a curse on Sophie, turning her in to an old lady!

Sophie leaves town, afriad her family will see her in this state, and catches a ride on the mysterious flying castle of the Wizard Howl, who is known to be extremely evil and partial to eating the hearts and souls of beautiful young girls. She  meets Michael, Howl’s apprentice, and Calcier, the fire demon who keeps the castle running. Sophie learns that the castle isn’t really a castle at all, but it has a magic door with a special colored knob–each color, when turned, lets the door open onto different locations.

The Wizard Howl himself is a dilemma; he’s vain, self-centered, and seems to completely ignore Sophie for the first few days she stays on in the castle, claiming to be an old cleaning lady. He spends all his time chasing girls, and dropping them the minute they start returning his interest. But at the same time he is kind to poor townspeople needing magical spells, and has a connection to a strange mysterious place called Wales, England…

Sophie soon finds out that other things are going wrong in the world–the King’s brother and Royal Wizard have gone missing, and the Witch of the Waste is making trouble for everyone. Then there’s her own old-lady curse that needs figuring out.

I’m on a Diana-Wynne-Jones binge right now, after reading House of Many Ways. I finished Howl’s Moving Castle in a few hours, and am currently reading The Dark Lord of Derkholm.

I really enjoyed Howl’s Moving Castle, I do everytime I read it, and it’s a good mix of humor, adventure, and all the crazy original ideas that Jones comes up with. She also has a way of pulling everything together really well in the end. Minor characters you briefly hear about in the beginning turn out to have connections to the larger plot and end up being more important than you realized.

Hayao Miyazaki, remarkable Japanese animator, made a film based on Jones’ book, also titled Howl’s Moving Castle. When I first heard that Miyazaki, film-genius, and Jones, writing-genius, were basically making a joint creation, I thought it was the best thing ever. I enjoyed the movie too, even though it didn’t completely follow Jones’ original plot. This was the first time I’d re-read it since seeing the movie, and a lot of the movie images and voices turned up while I was reading.

Howl’s Moving Castle also has a pseudo-sequel, called Castle in the Air. Also good, and involves some of the characters from the first book.