I love Harry Potter. I remember when the first book came out and my mother suggested I read it. I read the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone then set it down and forgot about it. A while later, a friend told me I had to give it another try, so I picked it up again. I ended up reading Sorcerer's Stone in one night and Chamber of Secrets the next. This was just before Prisoner of Azkaban was released and my father, who works in the book business, brought the advanced reader's copy home. I snatched it up the first chance I got and, again, read the book in one night. To this day, Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite of the seven books.
I turned into one of those crazy adults who was obsessed with this "children's" series. My mother was a book manager at a large store and I helped her plan and execute midnight madness parties. I own all seven books in hardcover, along with extra copies of Order of the Phoenix (one is the children's British version and the other is the adult British version, that just means they have different covers). They sit atop one of my bookshelves in a place of honor between Harry Potter bookends. Beside the books is the little cardboard trunk that holds the Harry Potter Uno game. I also have several of the books on CD, if you ever get the chance to listen to the amazing Jim Dale read these books do it! My prize piece is a special edition of the Half-Blood Prince with an autographed book plate inside, another perk of having parents in the book industry.
The Harry Potter books are an anomaly in the publishing industry. A series of books originally written for children but appealing to teens and adults as well, both male and female. With Sorcerer's Stone being published in the US in 1998 and Deathly Hallows published in 2007, quite a few children grew up with the series. But I actually know more adults than children who have read them.
A coworker of mine has a teen aged daughter and they are both avid readers. I have received more quality book recommendations from him than I can count. One that sticks out was the book East by Edith Pattou.
It's a young adult book written with a fairy tale vibe. In a small village in Norway, Rose is a North-born baby born to a poor mapmaker and his superstitious wife. It is believed North-born children are destined to break their mothers' hearts because they will leave home to travel far away. They are wild, unpredictable, and intelligent. So Rose's mother lies to her and tells her she was East-born and should be obedient. But her fate can not be denied. The story follows Rose's adventures after a great white bear comes to take her away.
East is a book I would never have picked up on my own, but I'm so glad I took this recommendation. The beginning was a bit slow, but I stuck with it and it got to the point where I could not put the book down. It was engaging and well-written, just a good, old-fashioned tale of folklore.
More recently, my cousin, who also works in the book industry (it seems as though I was always destined to be surrounded by books) told me about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. She swore up and down that this book was fantastic and it was hugely popular. I had not heard of it and it seemed a little too sci-fi for me. But she kept at it until I finally picked it up.
I am so sorry I ever doubted her. The Hunger Games is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I can't stop talking about it and I have gotten so many people to read it, I should be on Scholastic's pay roll. The second I finished The Hunger Games, I gobbled up the second book Catching Fire which had the distinction of being even better than the first book. I am counting down the days until the third and final book in the series, MockingJay, comes out.
The Hunger Games tells the story of a post-apocalyptic North America, called Panem, where the country is now divided into 12 districts, each one responsible for a certain item (ie: grain, fruit, coal), surrounding a large capitol city. At one time there had been 13 districts, but 74 years ago the districts tried to lead a rebellion against the Capitol which led to District 13 being destroyed. As a reminder to the public that they are in control, the Capitol holds the annual Hunger Games. A boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are chosen to fight to the death until there is only one survivor. The Hunger Games follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen as she is sent to the Games and has to compete.
Now, reading that description, this does not sound like the kind of book that would appeal to me. I was very pleasantly surprised. No description can fully do justice to the characters and story. At no point while reading these books did it feel as though I was reading a story aimed at 7th graders. There is a surprising amount of violence, but it doesn't take away from the story or the characters. These are quality, well-written books with characters and a plot that grabs you and holds you. You'll find yourself unable to put the book down until you've finished.
Every year my mother gives a speech at a local restaurant to teachers and librarians about current award winning YA and children's books. There are piles of books and she can't read them all, so I help her. I dig through the pile and pick out the books that sound good to me. As always, it's hit or miss. One book I picked out this year sounded like something I would love and was compared to the work of the Brontes. Uh, no. This particular book and Bronte should never be mentioned in the same sentence. It seemed confused as to where it wanted to go and then just abruptly ended. Another book was set in the west just after the Civil War and told the story of a teen aged boy and his young sister. In my opinion it was overly dramatic and the point it was trying to make, about the way the government treated the Native Americans, was tossed in near the end and was implausible and rushed.
But there are always a few that stick out. The one book that really stuck out to me this year was When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, the 2010 Newberry Award Winner.
It was a quick read and an enjoyable one. But it didn't really seem like anything special. I really liked how she ended the book, it was unexpected and unbelievable, but it worked. I returned it to my mother and told her it was a good read, but nothing really jumped out at me, I didn't understand why it won the Newberry Award.
After a few days, I knew why. I could not stop thinking about When You Reach Me. The more I thought about it, the more I really liked it. I mean really liked it. I found myself telling people about it and recommending it. There is just something about that story I can't really put my finger on that planted itself in my mind and refused to leave.
When You Reach Me tells the story of sixth grader Miranda who lives in 1970s New York City. She is obsessed with her favorite book A Wrinkle In Time and her mother is obsessed with getting on $20,000 Pyramid. There is a cast of characters including the vagrant who lives outside their building, Miranda's best friend who no longer wants to be her best friend, the new friends she discovers, and her mother's devoted boyfriend. Then one day, Miranda starts receiving mysterious notes that change the way she sees the world.
This book is full of the pre-teen drama we've all experienced and can relate to, as well as a bit of fantasy. This is book recommended for fifth to eighth graders and yet it was an enjoyable read for an adult.
Just like any genre of books, there are YA books that aren't too good, books I don't enjoy or don't want to read. But, just like any other genre, the good ones are really good.
