Annette's Book Spot: novels in verse

Showing posts with label novels in verse. Show all posts

Monday, May 9, 2016

October Mourning, by Leslea Newman

October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard was written to commemorate and remember the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay student, in Wyoming in 1998.

I'm a very tolerant person. I can understand why people don't agree with me (about anything, not just homosexuality), but I don't understand how someone can get so violent because of a difference of opinion. I guess I'm a "live and let live" kind of person. Why can't everyone be?

October Mourning made me emotional. No one deserves to suffer like that. No one's family and friends should have to live with this memory. There just isn't any reason that makes any sense for this to have happened.

October Mourning is beautifully written in verse and is easy to understand. The author makes it clear that the thoughts expressed in the poems are her own, but she has included extensive notes explaining each poem and the truths that inspired it.

October Mourning is a quick, but very powerful read that I plan to offer to a lot of students. It helps that it is on our Abe Lincoln Award List for 2017.

Published by Candlewick, 2012
Copy obtained from the library
111 pages

Rating: 4/5

Monday, August 18, 2014

Book Review: Rumble, by Ellen Hopkins

Rumble is a dramatic story of a young boy dealing with grief, loss, and lots of guilt.

Matt has lost his little brother a few months ago as the story begins. We soon find out that his brother, Luke, was gay and committed suicide.

Matt's parents are falling apart, not that they've ever been great parents, but since Luke's death, things are even worse. Thank goodness Matt has Hayden, the girl of his dreams.

But Hayden is becoming more and more involved with her church youth group, and the youth minister, and Matt is thoroughly convinced there is no God and isn't keeping quiet about it. These conflicting beliefs and jealousy cause turmoil in their relationship.

There's a lot of turmoil in Matt's life, and he has a seemingly good therapist to help him, but she doesn't appear very often. The story is slowly revealed about just how and why Luke killed himself and why Matt is feeling like it's his fault.

Matt has a handgun that his father bought him. And no (thankfully) this isn't a story about a kid going off the deep end and shooting someone. I loved how responsible Matt was about using and storing the gun. Since shooting happens to be one of my hobbies, it was nice to see a story that showed that not everyone with a gun is out to blow people away. Matt shoots at his uncle's shooting range, and his uncle becomes a refuge as well as a confidant.

Rumble is compelling and interesting. It reads quickly (as all Hopkins' books do). But I'm not sure she can ever stand up to her earlier books, especially Crank. Rumble just doesn't pack the emotional punch of some of her other books. I would still recommend it, because it's a great story and can open up discussions about faith, bullying, and homosexuality.

It is disappointing that the eARC of Rumble isn't written in the proper free-verse format. The lines all just run together like paragraphs. I think the final book will be easier to read and more entertaining in its intended format.

Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books, August 26, 2014
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
560 pages

Rating: 4/5

Monday, November 5, 2012

Book Review: Collateral, by Ellen Hopkins

Collateral by Ellen Hopkins really makes you think about the emotional damages to those involved in war, as well as their families. Hopkins portrays the challenges with realism and compassion.

Ashley never thought she would end up in love with a soldier, but Cole is different than she ever imagined a soldier could be. He writes poetry, and he's gentle, and kind, and they fall head over heals in love.

The story follows Ashley and Cole, as well as some other military couples as they suffer through deployments and training assignments that keep them apart for months at a time. Of course Ashley wonders what it will be like when they (or if they) are together all the time. Will their love survive being together?

And while they are apart, Ashley must go through week after week of not even hearing a word from Cole. Then, sometimes she will get a quick email, or a short phone call that really doesn't tell her anything. She is attracted to another man, and wonders if all the waiting is worth it. When she and Cole do get to be together for a few days, it seems like it's mostly about the sex.

Collateral really stuck with me. I felt the frustrations of the characters. I even had a dream my husband was cheating on me while I was reading this book -- and I know it was because of the book! The emotions are real and will take your breath away.

Since I read the eARC, I'm not sure of the formatting. To me, it seemed like this book was prose with poems that were written by the characters inserted after some of the chapters. But Hopkins usually writes the entire book in verse, so I'm interested to see the final copy. Either way, her language, as usual, is lyrical and beautiful. I also had difficulty with the jumping back and forth in time -- present, future, -- all these labels -- I really had difficulty discerning the order in which things happened.

I found Collateral to be depressing. I think a lot of Hopkins' books are -- and that's kind of what you sign up for when you read one of her novels. Collateral was also kind of "Bam!!! -- ending!" Wow. I suspected something like the ending might happen, but it was so sudden, and ended abruptly after with not much tie up.

Collateral is definitely a New Adult novel. The characters are college aged. There is some descriptive sex that would make Collateral appropriate for only the most mature teens. I would recommend Collateral to fans of realistic, heartbreaking romances. Fans of Hopkins, novels in verse, and New Adult Fiction will not want to skip Collateral.

Published by Atria, November 6, 2012
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
512 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Book Review: Song of the Sparrow, by Lisa Ann Sandell

Song of the Sparrow is a retelling of the story of the Lady of Shalott. It's unique and beautiful because it is told in verse.

Elaine, the Lady of Shalott, lived in an army encampment with her father and two brothers. They are constantly battling the Saxons, who are trying to invade Britain. They are fighting with Arthur (soon to be king), Lancelot, Gawain, and many other familiar characters. Tristan appears, and we are given a short summary of his story with Isolde.

Elaine's mother was killed when she was very young, so she has had a unique upbringing, not so much ladylike as "tom boy," given that her playmates have been from Arthur's round table.

Sandell's story flows beautifully. Elaine is in love with Lancelot, but he looks at her as if she's a child. When he returns to camp with Gwynivere, she is crushed because it is obvious that Lancelot is enchanted with Gwynivere, who is to be married to Arthur.

The excitement begins when Arthur decides to go on a five-day ride to meet and defeat the Saxons once an for all. Elaine decides to follow, by herself, this army, since she can help heal them if they are wounded. The trip turns out to be much harder than Elaine expects--she is woefully unprepared. Then, she is all at once in much grave danger. Her rescuer is unexpected--and that's all I'll say, except there is a satisfying and romantic ending.

If you have shied away from verse novels, Song of the Sparrow would be a good place to start. Its easy to read and a somewhat familiar story. This one should be added to your repertoire of books about King Arthur and is highly recommended to fans of those stories.

Published by Scholastic, 2007
Copy obtained from the library upon recommendation from Justin
416 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 4/5