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Sofia’s YA Book Nook: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

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Sofia is a 13-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select weeks, Sofia shares her favorite books with other young people her age! She is one of the most well-read youth that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

 

Dear readers,

Please let me introduce you to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, a twisty time travel novel that explores themes of identity! The plot for this book is very interesting, following main character Adeline who is immortal and is unable to leave an imprint on anything or anybody. This means people forget who she is as they look away, even her own parents. As Adeline navigates her lonely existence with no one but the devil for company, she must decide if her life is even worth living for.

Goodreads Summary

A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget. France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever-and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

My Thoughts

The premise of this novel is very intriguing and I love how Schwab hints at different parts of Adeline’s 300 year existence throughout the story, separating the long amount of time very nicely. Since the time period changes so frequently, I never found myself getting bored of one setting. I was actually looking forward to revisiting the time plots. I listened to about half of this book on audiobook but found that I preferred physically reading the words on the page as it made the story feel more impactful. Anyway, this book is 18 hours long so if you are looking for a story you can listen to for a long time, this is it! The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue explores what it means to be forgotten and the impact that leaves on a person. 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is an adult novel that handles themes of death, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, toxic romantic relationships and being forgotten. For these reasons, I believe a mature high schooler could appreciate this piece of literature.

**Thanks so much, Sofia!**

Sofia’s YA Book Nook: When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao

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Sofia is a 13-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select weeks, Sofia shares her favorite books with other young people her age! She is one of the most well-read youth that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

 

 

Dear readers,

If you are looking for a tragic book about what it means to lose the people you care about, let me introduce you to When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao. I have been wanting to read this book ever since I read You’ve Reached Sam (link to review) which literally brought me to tears. Eric is still finding himself after the sudden loss of his best friend and love interest Daniel. In the previous summer in Japan, Eric meets adventurous and charismatic Haru who wants to show him through Tokyo, but even though they are having fun, Eric cuts it short to hang out with Daniel. After Daniel’s sudden death, Eric is in a cafe, processing the news when Haru goes and sits down next to him. This book reminds me of Studio Ghibli films with their magical realism components and atmospheric writing! Fans of “My Neighbor Totoro” might enjoy Haru’s similar, yet more complex presence.

Goodreads Summary

We Are Okay meets Wandavision in this novel about loss, and learning to let go. After the death of his best friend, Eric Ly creates imaginary scenarios in his head to deal with his grief. Until one of them becomes real when a boy he met last summer in Japan finds his way back into his life. When he least expects it, Haru Tanaka walks into the coffee shop and sits down next to him. The only thing is, nobody else can see him. In a magical turn of events, Eric suddenly has someone to connect with, making him feel less alone in the world. But as they spend more and more time together, he begins to question what is real. When he starts losing control of the very thing that is holding him together, Eric must finally confront his reality. Even if it means losing Haru forever.

My Thoughts

When Haru Was Here shows the journey as Eric goes through many emotions regarding Haru, and how confusing his appearances are. A significant motif throughout this novel is the little bell Eric hears each time Haru is about to appear. To me, the bell served as a clear sign that Haru was a figment of Eric’s imagination, an idea that Eric struggled with. In his state of grief, Eric is manipulated by people around him and taken advantage of. His new coworkers take him to parties with excessive liquor even though he is underage. This exposes him to wealthy men who don’t have his best interest in mind, only looking for a disposable lover. Eric is forced to choose between Haru and his abusive partners. The entire novel shows what grief can do to a person, as Eric seems to be slipping in and out of reality constantly. When Haru Was Here portrays the emotional trauma that occurs when one loses a loved one, and the implications on people’s mental health.

When Haru Was Here is a YA novel that is appropriate for ages 13+. Some mature themes to be aware of are death of a loved one, grief, and excessive alcohol consumption.

**Thanks so much, Sofia!**

Sofia’s YA Book Nook: The Heart of Everything by Marc Levy

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Sofia is a 13-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select weeks, Sofia shares her favorite books with other young people her age! She is one of the most well-read youth that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

Hi and welcome to another book review! Today I would like to introduce The Heart of Everything by Marc Levy! This shorter story detailing what it means to lose someone was originally published in French, but this translated copy is still written beautifully. Thomas, the main character, feels like he is being delusional when his father who has been dead for five years comes knocking at his door. This moment turns out to be the beginning of a journey, physical and emotional, that this father and son duo embarks on. Raymond, Thomas’s father has such a funny personality that it lightens the sadder themes of the book and definitely made me laugh out loud a few times! 

Goodreads Summary

Even death can’t break the bond between father and son in an uncannily funny and poignant novel about love, loss, memory, and family by Marc Levy, the bestselling author of P.S. from Paris. There’s nothing too unusual about a father asking his son for a favor—unless, of course, the father in question has been dead for five years. Thomas, a young virtuoso pianist living a quiet, carefully structured life in France, is stunned when his late father, Raymond, suddenly appears in his home. He’s not a ghost in the traditional sense-he’s real enough to ask for help. His request? That Thomas travel with him to San Francisco to find Camille, the long-lost love of his life. For Thomas, it’s as surreal as it sounds. And yet…it might be his last-in-a-lifetime chance to know his father as a man and to square the regrets of the past. Together they embark on a five-thousand-mile journey that questions the very nature of existence, proves that love never fades, and rekindles the curious, heart-tugging bond between a parent and child that somehow endures beyond death.

My Thoughts

This book had an unsuspecting hold on me while I was reading it, and I was always thinking about when I could read the next bit! The interesting boundary this book sits between makes it feel realistic while also having fantastical elements. I highly recommend picking this book up, not just because of the valuable insight it offers, but because it is such a funny and exciting novel. If you have any traveling coming up soon, I feel like this book is perfect for a flight, or even to read while on vacation. The entire book took me about 4.5 hours to read, which entertained me throughout my four day winter break trip! The chapters are on the shorter side, meaning that you can pick this book up anytime, even if you only have 15 minutes! The Heart of Everything is a sweet and impactful novel about the father-son bond, and how it overcomes death.

While The Heart of Everything is an adult novel, I believe it is perfectly readable for anyone who enjoys YA books. Some mature themes to keep in mind though are death, loss of a loved one, and drugs. Enjoy your reading!

**Thanks so much, Sofia!**

Sofia’s YA Book Nook: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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Sofia is a 13-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select weeks, Sofia shares her favorite books with other young people her age! She is one of the most well-read youth that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

I am so excited to present to you… Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid! This breathtaking story brings you along the life of one of the first women astronauts to be hired by NASA, and the challenges that come with that. Atmosphere is a historical fiction novel which takes place in the early 1980’s. I found it really interesting and inspiring to learn about how the women astronauts faced sexual discrimination but still fought for a place on spaceships. While the subtitle on the cover, “A Love Story,” suggests that this book is all about love, I found it to have a different meaning than I expected. While this book does have a romantic relationship, I would say it is more about Joan’s love for space, her niece Frances, and the universe in general. There are also a lot of amazing, and thought-provoking quotes in this book, and one of my favorites was, “To look up at the nighttime sky is to become a part of a long line of people throughout human history who looked above at the same set of stars. It is to witness time unfolding”(Jenkins Reid 44).


Goodreads Summary

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space. Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easy-going even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane. As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe. Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant. Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, with complex protagonists, telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love, this time among the stars.

My Thoughts

Wow, this book was so impressive! When I first picked up Atmosphere from my local Free Little Library (on the day it was released, no less!), I was excited, but I did not expect the way that Atmosphere would play with my emotions, making me overjoyed in one moment, and frustrated at the characters in the next. Since I have wanted to read Carrie Soto is Back by her, as soon as I spotted her name, I instantly grabbed the book! I was on a walk with my mom and wanted to check out the newest Free Little Library, which just opened in our neighborhood! This was my first book by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but I assure you, it will not be my last! The space setting of this book made it so interesting, with the historical feature being even more intriguing! Coming along with Joan as she discovers her identity really makes you able to feel what she is going through and enjoy the book more. I love everything about Atmosphere, and I hope you enjoy it as well!

While Atmosphere is technically an Adult book, I believe it just as easily could have been classified under Young Adult, since there wasn’t anything that you wouldn’t find in a Young Adult book. I think the only reason it is an adult book is most likely the fact that it is about an adult, and her struggles. For these reasons, I would recommend this book for ages 14+!

**Thanks so much, Sofia!**

Violets are Blue by Barbara Dee

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Violets are Blue
Author: Barbara Dee
Published: September 28, 2020 by Aladdin

Summary: From the author of the acclaimed My Life in the Fish Tank and Maybe He Just Likes You comes a moving and relatable middle grade novel about secrets, family, and the power of forgiveness.

Twelve-year-old Wren loves makeup—special effect makeup, to be exact. When she is experimenting with new looks, Wren can create a different version of herself. A girl who isn’t in a sort-of-best friendship with someone who seems like she hates her. A girl whose parents aren’t divorced and doesn’t have to learn to like her new stepmom.

So, when Wren and her mom move to a new town for a fresh start, she is cautiously optimistic. And things seem to fall into place when Wren meets potential friends and gets selected as the makeup artist for her school’s upcoming production of Wicked.

Only, Wren’s mom isn’t doing so well. She’s taking a lot of naps, starts snapping at Wren for no reason, and always seems to be sick. And what’s worse, Wren keeps getting hints that things aren’t going well at her new job at the hospital, where her mom is a nurse. And after an opening night disaster leads to a heartbreaking discovery, Wren realizes that her mother has a serious problem—a problem that can’t be wiped away or covered up.

After all the progress she’s made, can Wren start over again with her devastating new normal? And will she ever be able to heal the broken trust with her mom?

Ricki’s Review: This book ripped me apart and put me back together. It is unflinchingly honest, and it is a book that so many middle grade kids need. The characterization is beautiful, and the book would make for a great study on the relationships between humans and a general study on humanity. No character in this book is perfect—all are flawed, and this reflects who we are as people. I stayed up late at night reading this book (when I should have been sleeping), and I cannot recommend it highly enough. We all deserve to reinvent ourselves, and this book gives us permission to do so.

Kellee’s Review: Barbara Dee is so wonderful at writing such relatable middle school books with characters that deal with the real issues that middle schoolers are dealing with today. This book is no different as we get to watch Wren deal with her own identity, dealing with divorce & remarriage, moving, finding new friends, and just learning how to be happy. All of this in addition to what Wren ends up needing to work through when it comes to her mom. Dee does a great job balancing all of these plot points while also building such full characters. All characters in the main characters in the book are well developed and are truly themselves–flaws and all!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book works beautiful to teach about characterization. Students might select a character to study in a group and then work individually to study a person in their own lives (personal or famous). This offers opportunities for rich discussions about imperfection and the flaws in all of us.

Discussion Questions:

  • How does Wren’s hobby with makeup reflect her life? How does it connect with the story?
  • How does Wren’s mother evolve in the story, and why do you think she makes specific decisions in the text?
  • Why do we keep secrets? How does secret-keeping impact others?
  • What did you learn from this story? What will you take with you?
  • How does Wren and her mom moving change the trajectory of the story?
  • Were there clues about Wren’s mom earlier in the book?
  • Why is it that people have such a hard time with girls and boys just being friends with each other?

Flagged Passage:

Chapter 2: Changes: “The day Dad left us, just a little over nine months ago, it all happened so fast. One gray Saturday morning in February, when we were still living in the house in Abingodon, I woke up to the sound of loud arguing in the kitchen. Yelling, actually, which happened a lot those days, followed by a car zooming out of our driveaway.”

Chapter 9: Nebula “[CatFX’s YouTube Channel] Here’s my secret message to you guys: fantasy is not the opposite of truth.”

Read This Book If You Loved: My Life in a Fish Tank by Barbara Dee; The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner; Sunny Side Up by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm; Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams

Recommended For: 

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  RickiSigand
**Thank you to Casey at Media Masters Publicity for providing a copy for review!

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

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Furia
Author: Yamile Saied Méndez
Published: September 15, 2020 by Algonquin

Summary: An #ownvoices contemporary YA set in Argentina, about a rising soccer star who must put everything on the line—even her blooming love story—to follow her dreams.

In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life.

At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father.

On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university.

But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her.

But is it possible that she’s becoming too American—as her father accuses—and what does it mean when her feelings for Harrison and Neo start to change? Ana will spend her year learning that the rules of English may be confounding, but there are no rules when it comes to love.

With playful and poetic breakouts exploring the idiosyncrasies of the English language, Love in English tells a story that is simultaneously charming and romantic, while articulating a deeper story about what it means to become “American.”

Ricki’s Review: I lost a lot of sleep reading this book. I could not stop reading! Camila’s voice was so strong that I was really drawn to her story. I am not a particularly athletic person, yet I loved reading about the soccer within this book. It is set in Argentina, which offered a perspective of the country. It made me want to visit Argentina. There are many rich themes in this text that make it very teachable—in particular, it offers depictions of domestic abuse, sexism, and strength. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I would love to use this book with a translanguaging lens of analysis. It would also be interesting to look at feminist theory as a theoretical framing of the text. But it isn’t about me–instead, I’d ask students what they find interesting in the text and what they want to learn more about. This allows for a freedom of curiosity to explore topics of interest from the text (and there are many!).

Discussion Questions:

  • How do gender roles differ related to soccer in Argentina, according to Camila’s perspective?
  • What is the role of family in the text?
  • What does Camila’s mother teach readers? Her brother? Her best friend?
  • Do you think Camila makes the right choices regarding her future? Why or why not?

Flagged Passage: “Our family was stuck in a cosmic hamster wheel of toxic love, making the same mistakes, saying the same words, being hurt in the same ways generation after generation. I didn’t want to keep playing a role in this tragedy of errors.”

Read This Book If You Loved: Love in English by Maria E. Andreu;  Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos, Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok; YA Books with Sports

Recommended For: 

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  RickiSig

Love in English by Maria E. Andreu

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Love in English
Author: Maria E. Andreu
Published: February 2, 2021 by Balzer + Bray

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Ana has just moved to New Jersey from Argentina for her Junior year of high school. She’s a poet and a lover of language—except that now, she can barely understand what’s going on around her, let alone find the words to express how she feels in the language she’s expected to speak.

All Ana wants to do is go home—until she meets Harrison, the very cute, very American boy in her math class. And then there’s her new friend Neo, the Greek boy she’s partnered up with in ESL class, who she bonds with over the 80s teen movies they are assigned to watch for class (but later keep watching together for fun), and Altagracia, her artistic and Instagram-fabulous friend, who thankfully is fluent in Spanish and able to help her settle into American high school.

But is it possible that she’s becoming too American—as her father accuses—and what does it mean when her feelings for Harrison and Neo start to change? Ana will spend her year learning that the rules of English may be confounding, but there are no rules when it comes to love.

With playful and poetic breakouts exploring the idiosyncrasies of the English language, Love in English tells a story that is simultaneously charming and romantic, while articulating a deeper story about what it means to become “American.”

Ricki’s Review: I read this book and immediately thought of the many people who would love reading it. It does a beautiful job offering a lived experience of a young girl who is finely attuned to language acquisition. I have been meeting regularly with two students who have shared similar experiences to those of Ana, and I plan to share this book with them. For many, this book will act as a mirror, window, and sliding glass door. I understand fully the criticism this book has received–Maria E. Andreu writes in the opening that she was born in Spain, and her grandparents moved from Spain to Argentina as toddlers. She grew up in the US, traveled to Argentina at age 6 and then was not allowed to return to the US. She was undocumented at age 8 in the US. She talks about her experiences with this and with White privilege in powerful ways in The Secret Side to Empty. My thoughts about this controversy are not as valuable as those of a person with Latinx descent. In the end, I do wish that the character more closely matched Maria E. Andreu’s story rather than that of a native Argentinian. I loved the book and appreciated all that it taught me about Maria E. Andreu’s experiences with language, and there simply aren’t enough books available that explicitly discuss the linguistic diversity within our schools. this book is one that I will remember for quite some time.

Kellee’s Review: One of the things I love most about my school is the amount of diversity and the acceptance and inclusion of all in the school; we do not care where you are from or what language you speak–you are welcome with open arms!  While reading Love in English, I found myself being so upset with the students and some of the teachers in Ana’s school. Why was her ethnicity and language acquisition something that anyone would find funny or bully-worthy?! But then I remember that other places are not like my school… 

I also found myself connecting with Mr. T the ELL teacher! When I first started working at my school, I was intimidated with teaching ELL students because I didn’t think I would be of any help with someone learning English when it was the only language I knew. But throughout my first few years there, I began to learn that teaching ELL students is one of my favorite honors of being a teacher. My 7th year teaching, I taught a class much like Mr. T’s class, and it is one of my favorite classes I’ve ever taught. Mr. T shows how an ELL class, done correctly, can truly become home at school. 

Also, as a reading teacher & librarian at a school with a large Latinx population, primarily from South America, I found that it is so hard to find books that truly reflect my students’ experiences, but Love in English is a mirror for so many of them! It made me so happy while reading because I know that Ana’s experience is one that they will connect with. 

Overall, this story looks at language acquisition in a way that I have not seen in another book and it does so during a wonderful story with some amazing poetry woven throughout. I also love that the language acquisition aspect is based on the author’s experiences.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: We would love to use this book to teach about language and translanguaging. We’d group texts that help us think about the power of discussions related to the nuances of language.

Ana, throughout the novel, focuses on aspects of English in her journal. Use Ana’s journals to guide activities on some of the more challenging and, some would say, nonsensical parts of English, like idioms, similar looking words that are pronounced differently, and more.

Ana’s journals are written in beautiful poetry! Use Ana’s poetry for a mentor text to have students write poetry about similar topics to Ana.

Many of Mr. T’s activities that he implemented in his classroom are amazing activities to work with students acquiring a new language. If you are in a language-focused classroom, they would be assets to your classroom.

Discussion Questions:

  • How does language influence the ways in which Ana moves in the world?
  • How do Ana’s relationships with family and friends impact her life?
  • What is the significance of the title of the book?
  • How might the author’s perspective have influenced her work?
  • Why does Mr. T recommend Ana and Neo watch movies as part of their language acquisition?
  • What is the impact of the author’s use of ### since Ana is the narrator?
  • What is a part of the English language that you find confusing?
  • How did the year that Ana and her dad were apart affect their current relationship?
  • Why was Ana so drawn to a relationship with Harrison at first?
  • How was Altagracia’s friendship lifechanging for Ana?

Flagged Passage: 

“‘We don’t have to speak English,’ I tell her. I think–

We don’t have to do it this way.

We don’t have to make it so hard.

We don’t have to erase everything about us. At least not all at once.

—but I do not say it” (Advanced Reader Copy p. 35).

“Recipe for Disaster

How do you get an apple in your eye?
Just how easy is pie? 
Who would eat crow or eat their heart out? 
Or how could anyone eat enough hay to eat like a horse? 
How can a potato sit on the couch?
In a world where so many thins are confusing, even food, 
I dream of a day when it is a piece of cake.” (Digital Review Copy Loc 1125)

Read This Book If You Loved: The Secret Side to Empty by Maria E. Andreu, Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez, Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos, Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok, Illegal by Bettina Restrepo

Recommended For: 

classroomlibrarybuttonsmall litcirclesbuttonsmall

  RickiSig and