CLP Teens Blog

After Tupac and D Foster by Jacquelin Woodson

“Maybe while he was in jail, Tupac started thinking about his Big Purpose. That’s what D called it—our Big Purpose. She said everybody’s got one and it’s just that we gotta figure out what it is and go have it.” D Foster is the mysterious teen who walks one summer’s day into the lives of the narrator and her best friend, Neeka. D is a child in the foster care system and a self-proclaimed “roamer.” When she arrives on the narrator’s block in Queens, she explains that she stopped because she “saw all the trees.” The three girls quickly form a tight bond and a shared love for the music of Tupac Shakur.

Tupac’s music and tumultuous life provide the backdrop to the girls’ story. Tupac was the victim of multiple attempts on his life, and after he is shot and recovers the first time, he proves an inspiration to the girls who face their own challenges. The narrator and her single mother struggle to make ends meet; Neeka’s brother Tash is in prison upstate after being wrongfully accused of a violent crime; and D has been bounced from foster home to foster home since early childhood.

In After Tupac & D Foster, Jacqueline Woodson has done an outstanding job of bringing life to three very special characters. Through her characters she is able to create a very realistic and moving portrait of teens experiencing very challenging scenarios—wrongful imprisonment, foster care, racism, poverty, and violence. Even though Woodson has her characters face a variety of difficult circumstances, she still is somehow able to share successfully the love, loyalty, and bonds of friendship felt by these three best friends.

Review by Maddie, CLP-Squirrel Hill

Finding My Place by Traci Jones

When 14-year-old Tiphanie’s parents decide to move to a better neighborhood, Tiphanie is forced to leave her friends behind and start a new—mostly white school in a rich suburb called Brent Hills. In 1975 Tiphanie was happy with her life. She lived in Denver and had enough friends. But her parents, who fought long and hard for civil rights wanted more for their daughter. Tiphanie just wanted to fit in and stay with her old friends.

Tiphanie’s parents promised her that she could go back to see her friends weekly. And the family would still belong to their Denver church. But when Tiphanie calls her friends or goes to visit, she feels left out. They even tease her about being an “oreo”—black on the outside; white on the inside. Tiphanie’s parents expect her to represent not just herself and her family but the whole Afro-American culture! That’s a lot of pressure for a young teen.

Tiphanie is miserable. But then one day Jackie Sue comes into her life. Jackie Sue lives in the trailer park. She’s not rich like the other white kids at the school, but she is smart—always using big words that Tiphanie has to ask her to define. And there is one boy that Tiphanie likes. He’s cute and his name is Todd…but he’s white.

Traci L. Jones’ characters are likeable, confused and searching for answers. Set in the mid 1970’s Traci L Jones captures the uncertainties of the new “civil rights movement.”

Review by Barb, CLP-Allegheny

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

You know the story of “Hansel and Gretel,” right? Think again! What we’re all familiar with has been so modified throughout the years that it is almost unrecognizable from the original. This is true of almost every folk tale you’ve ever heard. They have been stripped of all the good stuff (violence and gore) so that they would be less scary and appeal to children.

Adam Gidwitz is here to tell you what really happened. These stories are much closer to what was compiled by the Brothers Grimm two hundred years ago and let me tell you, these folk tales are much more disturbing than what you heard growing up. Decapitations, cannibalism and other forms of violence are the norm and all the fairies, candy and “happily ever afters” are gone. Although, Gidwitz has done some modifications of his own. He has mashed up a bunch of folk tales into one continuous story, using the characters Hansel and Gretel in all of them. You’ll read why Hansel and Gretel ran away from home after their father decapitated them (a pretty good reason to not stick around), how Hansel goes to hell after his foster parent loses him over a bet with the Devil, and how Gretel is lured in by a charming boy who is only interested in devouring her whole. And while all these stories have plenty of blood and guts, they are all told with a dash of humor, including commentary by Gidwitz warning the reader of the horrors that await.

I found this book to be both funny and really interesting. Except for “Hansel and Gretel,” I hadn’t heard of any of the other folk tales in this book, and though Gidwitz did modify them some he assures the reader that he has stayed truer to the original than what we’re used to. Because of this, some parts of the stories aren’t only violent but are truly bizarre (like the moon which has a taste for human flesh). I think the best part of this book is it has spurred me into reading the original Brothers Grimm versions of these folk tales, which the library of course has many copies of! Also, check out Gidwitz’s new book “In a Glass Grimmly” which tells the true tale of what happened to Jack and Jill and a certain beanstalk.

Review by Simon, CLP-Knoxville

Starters by Lissa Price

Old people often say they would do something more adventurous with their lives if they had it to do all over again. Would you make any changes to how you live your life?

Well in the not so distant future, if you desired to do something that you are currently unable to do, you could just rent a young body and do whatever it is you wanted to do…at least that is what the ‘Old Man’ is marketing at Prime Destinations, a facility in Beverly Hills. The renter or ender is connected to a BCI—Body Computer Interface. The teen is put under anesthesia. For one week, you inhabit the body of a teenager. The Donor, or the teen, is put in another room and connected to the computer via a wireless BCI. A tiny neurochip is placed in the back of the donor’s head. It’s totally painless. Your brainwaves are connected to the computer and the computer is the connection between the donor and the renter. It is a win-win situation! The renter gets to ‘live again’ and the donor gets money to help live on. What could possibly go wrong?

Plenty. And what a terrifying choice Callie has to make so that she and her younger brother Tyler could have any chance to survive. Her parents are dead, her brother is sick and she can’t trust anyone. Starters by Lissa Price will leave you wondering what your grandparents may be up to!

Review by Andrea, CLP- Hill District

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

Ashen Winter is the gripping sequel to Ashfall released in 2011. It is almost a year after the supervolcano erupted in Yellowstone, but the world is still a dark and dangerous place. The climate has plunged to subzero temperatures, food is scarce and millions of people have perished. Those who survive have to struggle daily against the elements as well as dangerous gangs of flensers (cannibals).

Sixteen year old Alex and his girlfriend Darla are some of the lucky ones. They survived their harrowing trek across Iowa and made it to his uncle’s farm in Illinois. There they reunited with Alex’s sister and life settled into a semblance of normalcy. A greenhouse is built, allowing for food. There is plenty of wood for fire and Darla builds a snowmobile that allows the family easy access to town. Everything changes when a gang of flensers attacks the farm and Alex notices that one of them has his father’s shotgun.

After defeating the bandits, Alex and Darla decide to leave the farm and travel back to Illinois to find his parents. This is when things begin to get really intense. Alex and Darla are up against formidable enemies—extreme weather, corrupt military organization Black Lake and a gang of cannibals to start. We also encounter some new characters, the brave Alyssa and her brother Ben.

Ashen Winter is a compelling page-turner from the first explosive chapter, and the suspense does not abate for a moment. Like in the previous novel Ashfall, Mike Mullin does a great job in pulling the reader into Alex and Darla’s terrifying world. Ashen Winter ends with an unexpected twist that will leave you both anticipating and dreading the end of this unforgettable trilogy.

Review by Maddie, CLP-Squirrel Hill

Son by Lois Lowry

In this fourth and final book of Lois Lowry’s Giver series, readers are introduced to Claire, the 14-year-old birthmother of baby, Gabe. At the conclusion of the first book, The Giver, Jonas, in an attempt to save Gabe’s young life, takes the baby and escapes from the Community on a sled. Claire, too, escapes the Community by getting on a boat at the Hatchery, where she works.

Somehow there is an accident and Claire washes up on the shore of a village nearly dead. She doesn’t remember any of her past. But in time, she remembers that she had a son. And she is determined to find her son. Many obstacles stand in the way of her reuniting with her son.

Along with answering all the questions that readers may have had about the first 3 books in this series, Lowry attempts to answer the riddle does Good conquer Evil in this last of the quartet.

Review by Barb, CLP-Allegheny

The Year of the Beasts by Cecil Castellucci and Nate Powell

I’m going to attempt to tell you why The Year of the Beasts is such a fantastic book without giving away any spoilers.  There is a big reveal, which takes this intricately told story to the realm of devastating heartbreak, but that’s all I can say.

Well, I guess I can tell you about Lulu and Tessa.  These girls are sisters that are cut from different cloths.  Tessa resents Lulu’s annoying positivity, especially as she starts hanging out with Tessa’s friends and even worse, Lulu starts dating the boy Tessa has a crush on.  The rift between the sisters gets deeper and the alternating chapters of reality and dark fantasy start to blur.

The reason I was drawn to this book is the way it’s told.  The Year of the Beasts is told two ways: half of the chapters are told in words written by Cecil Castellucci, and the other half are told in pictures drawn by Nate Powell.  The two stories don’t seem to be related at first, but like any great story, it all comes together.  If you want a dark, moody, quick read, The Year of the Beasts is the one for you.

Review by Annica , CLP-West End

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Set during the glamorous roaring ’20s in New York City, The Diviners is Libba Bray’s newest YA novel. The book begins with 17-year-old Evie O’Neill being sent from Ohio to New York City to live with her Uncle Will. Evie’s uncle has a most unusual job. He is the curator of the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and the Occult—otherwise known as the “Museum of Creepy Crawlies.”

Evie is no ordinary teenager; she has a hidden gift that enables her to learn a person’s secrets just by holding an object that belongs to them.  Evie is not the only one in New York with an unusual talent, and she soon crosses paths with others hiding secrets and gifts of their own. We meet Theta, the Ziegfeld showgirl; Memphis, the aspiring poet and numbers-runner from Harlem, and his younger brother, Isaiah; and Sam Lloyd, the handsome pickpocket with a mysterious past.

Beneath the bright lights of the city evil is lurking. A killer is on the prowl, mutilating bodies in a way consistent with the occult. Evie and her Uncle Will become involved in the investigation and uncover that the murders are part of a ritual meant to bring about the end of the world.

The Diviners is a very unique read. Libba Bray does a wonderful job of bringing the fun and excitement of the 1920s to life while moving forward with an increasingly terrifying murder plot. The Diviners is just the first book in this new series—I can’t wait to read what comes next!

Review by Maddie, CLP-Squirrel Hill

Following Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci

At the end of The Body of Christopher Creed, author Carol Plum-Ucci leaves readers wanting more. There are no answers to what happened to Christopher Creed, an unliked high school student who mysteriously went missing and left the town of Steepleton, New Jersey in a mess of accusations and bad blood. With Following Christopher Creed, readers revisit Steepleton where they get a second try at solving the mystery of what happened to Creed four years after his disappearance.

It’s a dark and stormy night when Steepleton police uncover a grave and an unidentified body in the Pine Barrens. Is this the final resting place of the missing Chris Creed? No one knows yet, but it’s the chance Mike Mavic, a legally-blind budding college reporter and avid follower of the Creed case, has been waiting for—a chance to go to Steepleton and stir up the answers to old questions. Mavic, who feels he’s a kindred spirit with Creed because of his own bullying and hellish childhood home-life, shows up in the middle of the night and begins interviewing townspeople.

What the young reporter sees is clear—the town hasn’t moved on since Creed’s disappearance. Steepleton’s dealing with eerie issues—a higher than normal cancer rate, unexplained, fatal car accidents, and a community with a mean-streak that goes beyond pettiness. Is this “bad frequency” an after effect of the town’s complicity in making Creed’s life miserable? Strange sightings out on the Lightning Field in the woods have some believing that Creed is dead and haunting high school students who hang out there. But at least one person, Justin Creed, Chris’s mentally unstable younger brother who’s just gotten out of rehab, is convinced that Creed is alive and communicating with him through strange psychic channels. Mavic soon finds himself overly invested in Justin’s well-being, feeling that Justin is just like his own younger brother whom he left behind when he ran away from home.

Though the manic pace of Justin and Mavic’s intense conversations is sometimes jolting, the irresistible chance to revisit the characters from the first book and finally solve the Christopher Creed mystery will have readers turning pages quickly!

Review by Erin, CLP-Allegheny

The Enemy by Charles Higson

What I like about a good zombie narrative is that you never quite know who’s gonna die. The Enemy by Charles Higson is no exception.

London has been over-run by infected adults who highly resemble zombies—flesh is melting off their faces, they move in seemingly unstoppable hordes, and they eat kids for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Why only kid’s meals? When the disease came, everyone under the age of 16 was unaffected, but now thousands of fresh-flesh youth are left to fight off the zombie-like abominations while finding food and running the new world. Where is the best place to rule in an over-run London? How about Buckingham palace? Our unfortunate heroes make their way across a post-apocalyptic cityscape to find other kids, but now they have to face factions of warring teenagers, which highlights the old zombie question: Who really is the enemy here?

I like The Enemy for all its traditional zombie elements and I think Higson did them well. There is significant suspense throughout multiple battles, though the most hair-raising storyline revolves around the exploits of a single character who gets separated from the group. He lands in a lair of “zombies”, left to desperately devise a way of escape alone, only to fall into a situation that I would consider much worse!

Speaking of escape, don’t get too attached to any character, you never know how long they’re going to last in this book. Though I whole heartedly respect an author willing to sacrifice main character immunity, this constant risk led to having a hard time connecting to characters, coupled with the struggle to learn the new ones along the way.

Overall I enjoyed The Enemy and recommend it with an anticipating eye on the following sequels: The Dead, The Fear, and The Sacrifice.

Review by Gigi, CLP-Brookline