Info

YA Contemporary
Publisher: Viking
Age group: Mature YA

Summary

After being abandoned by her alcoholic mother, Ruby goes to live with her sister Cora whom she hasn’t seen in years. Through this new life and the new relationships that come her way, Ruby discovers she can give love and be loved.

Characters

I love rough-around-the-edges characters, so I enjoyed Ruby and trying to figure out who she is and if she can change. The boy she likes, Nate, is mysterious and complicated, though not at first glance. And more so than other Dessen books, I enjoyed the complexity of the sub-characters, including Ruby’s sister, brother-in-law, and boss at work.

Plot

The plot was intriguing and kept me turning the pages. I wanted Ruby to be happy and not return to her old life, and as the plot moves, my wishes happen, though not in the way I expected.

Thoughts

As noted in a previous blog this week, I was troubled by all the typos in this book. Dessen, however, is my favorite YA author so she can have all the typos she wants and I’ll still read every book she ever writes

“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie

Info

YA (contemporary or perhaps literary…I saw one person label it as such
Publisher: Little, Brown
Age group: Mature YA

Summary

Arnold is a nerdy Spokane reservation kid who transfers to a white school to get a better education.

Characters

The characters are what make this book stand out. Arnold is funny, nerdy, witty, and sad all in one. You connect with him and feel for him the whole way through.

Plot

The story reads similar to a diary – following Arnold’s thoughts as he leaves his reservation to travel each day to an all-white school and the troubles he meets along the way.

Thoughts

This book has won numerous awards and I can see why. It is intriguing and has an amazing voice. Usually second-person doesn’t work for me, but it works here. The book has been somewhat controversial at schools because it has some vulgar content/language. For this reason, I labeled it mature YA even though the main character is fourteen. I know parents have a hard time finding YA for boys, and I think this is one that would be enjoyed by both girls and boys. It has a deep yet common coming-of-age theme, and makes you laugh all the way through.