Death and the Maiden or Girls in Trouble 2

As I've said in the past, a huge amount of YA books are about girls in trouble. Here are two books from the subset of girls in trouble that also deals with death.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (YA)

Hazel is dying. Actually, she's been dying for years from thyroid cancer. Although she has survived much longer than expected, she knows that someday soon she will die since the cancer has settled in her lungs as well. However, Hazel is not a character who is going to teach the reader about dying with grace. Instead, she's going to live as much as she can before she goes. She meets Augustus Waters, who is charming and handsome and loves the metaphor of putting a cigarette (the killing thing) in his mouth and not smoking it. Gus is extremely lovable, as is anyone who loves a good metaphor, and as an aside, he has also been touched by cancer, but was saved through amputating his leg. Gus will convince her to go to Amsterdam to meet the author of her favourite book, An Imperial Affliction, to ask him what happened to all the characters after the novel finished.

This is a love story, of course, and it is both funny and sad. I read this on a bus and alternated between crying and laughing all the way home. There are some beautiful passages, and the characters go to Amsterdam! I feel that never happens in books. I went there a few weeks ago as a graduation present to myself, and I think Green really captures how beautiful it is. I loved Gus for being enthusiastic and charming and witty. Finally, I loved Hazel, since although she is bitter and exhausted and depressed, she still notices the beauty in the world.

I loved this book, but I do have to mention that a coworker noted that she found it too similar to Looking For Alaska, Green's first book. I didn't feel the same way, probably because I've read some of Green's lighter works as well, but if that's the only other Green novel you've read you may be disappointed by it. I wasn't though.

This is a choice quote for those who love people taking about love.
" I'm in love with you, and I'm not the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you" (153)

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (YA)

Clay receives a box of tapes in which Hannah, a classmate and coworker, explains the 13 reasons why she committed suicide. Each of those reasons align with specific people, in a specific order, and everyone involved will receive the tapes in the same order and will get to hear Hannah tell their part in her story. If they don't listen to everything and pass the tapes on to the next person, then someone else will release the tapes to the public.

The overwhelming feeling from Hannah's story is that a teenage girl can be completely ostracized for having (or being perceived as having) any type of sex life.  Of course, Hannah hasn't really done anything, but her peers spread rumours and humiliate her every chance they get to the point where she feels completely alone.

One thing that really bothered me about this book, was that Clay was very different from the other people on the tapes. He had a serious crush on Hannah and he tried to reach out to her at a party and help her. In spite of this, he still gets pointed out as a reason why she killed herself . Obviously, this lets there be a sympathetic narrator who tries to understand Hannah and her pain, but it leaves the reader with the overwhelming feeling that Hannah is being cruel. For me, Hannah works better as an example of the consequences of  bullying and shaming girls than as a character, which isn't a good thing if half the story is in her own words. I raced through this book trying to figure out Hannah's secrets, but I just didn't love it.

Fortunately, this book wasn't really written for me. It was written for teens who feel alone, and for others who need to know that words can have serious consequences. It has a huge following and at least at my library, always seems to be out.

CB # 44-50 Girls in Trouble

I feel like a huge subset of Young Adult fiction, involves stories about girls in trouble.

 

Every Little Thing in the World Nina de Gramont

Sydney finds out that she’s pregnant but doesn’t know what she’s going to do about it. She’s unable to tell her parents, because every discussion ends in a fight with her mom, and her dad lives like a hippie and doesn’t understand her at all. She has no money for an abortion, her mom won’t let her work at the pool, and her father has decided to send her to a summer camp in the Ontario wilderness.

This was a surrising book. You could never figure out what exactly was going to happen to poor Sydney. However, she find the wilderness helps her figure things out. And I loved that the book deals with the invincible feeling that many teens have. Even Sydney’s pregnancy doesn’t seem to wake her up.

A Pure Swift Cry by  Siobhon Dowd

Set in Ireland in the 1960’s, Shell has to take care of her family after her mother’s death. Her father has given up on life and is drinking his way through all the welfare  money. Shell struggles when she discovers that she’s pregnant. This book deals with religion, death  and the secrets that people keep from each other. The writing style was beautiful in this one.

What Happened to Goodbye? by  Sarah Dessen

I love Sarah Dessen books, but I found that the most recent wasn’t as much fun or as engrossing as her older book. There was not as much friendship of relationship drama, which is the main reason why I read Dessen. Instead, this book focuses mainly on interior drama. McLean keeps on moving to different cities with her father, as he tries to rejuvenate failing restaurants. Each time she moves she reinvents herself with a different name. Now who is she?

Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne Jones

This is the book with a boy in trouble as well. Blink is a street kid who witnesses a kidnapping that seems all right, but it seems all wrong. He ends up calling the kidnapped man’s daughter and trying to help her figure out what went wrong.  He ends up meeting with a drug runner named Caution who is punishing herself for her past mistakes. The story is really engrossing with both the mystery of the present day kidnapping, and the mystery of how both these teens got to where they are now.

The Ghosts of Ashbury High by Jaclyn Moriarty

This is a lighter hearted read, that is a return of the girls from the Year of Secret Assignments. They tell  the story of their final year of high school as a series of essay written in gothic style. There are new students at the school, and they have a deep dark secret! The story sort of flips between darker moments and really hilarious moments. I didn't enjoy it as much as some of Moriarty's other books, but it was still a fun read.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King

Vera deals with the death of her ex-friend Charlie in the worst way possible, with drinking and imagining him everywhere. I thought that this novel is fairly engrossing, but I can’t really bring up much more about it.

CB # 41-43 Uglies, Pretties, and Specials

Uglies
Pretties

Specials   All by Scott Westerfield (YA)

This trilogy (plus the extra book which is set in the same world, Extras, which I never got around to reading) is set in the far future. Human civilization as we know it has been destroyed by a virus that caused all the petrol to explode. Now humanity has rebuilt itself into a beautiful species.  In the first book, Uglies, Tally Youngblood is excited about her upcoming 16th birthday. Finally she’ll become “pretty,” a surgical process that will physically transform her so that she is a perfect example of the human beauty ideal - giant eyes, perfectly smooth skin, amazing hair etc. Everyone has the surgery at age 16. However, a week before her birthday, Tally’s friend, Shay tells her that she doesn’t want to get the surgery. Instead she is going to run away to the Smoke, to meet her friend David. When Tally doesn’t want to leave with her, Shay gives her instructions on how to find the Smoke. Unfortunately, Uglies aren’t supposed to leave. Instead, Special Circumstances, who police the city, force Tally to go and find out where the Smoke is, and set off a receiver so Special Circumstances can find and destroy the Smoke.

Obviously, Tally's world can't be utopian (why can't we have a utopia?), so there need to be dark secrets which Tally will discover as things go along. Also, it's a trilogy, so more and more secrets will be revealed as you go through the books.  I found the first book to be the strongest and the most interesting, but as a series it couldn't keep my interest. I took forever to read Specials and I found the plot fairly repetitive. However, I will say that I couldn't completely abandon the books. The end of each one hooks you into reading the next, even if it takes you forever to get through them. 

On the plus side, I thought that the friendship between Shay and Tally changed and was complicated in a very real way, and I appreciated it. I also think that as soft science fiction, it can be a great introduction to a reluctant reader to a really fun genre. The writing style is easy to read and Tally has really normal teenage concerns throughout.

CB# 28-29: Wintersmith and I Shall Wear Midnight

Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett               

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett  (YA)

                These are the two most recent Tiffany Aching books. I’ve reviewed the first two earlier.  I found these books fairly interesting because Pratchett had said that these novels are aimed at younger readers who might also enjoy the fantasy and humour of Discworld. The first two books had really felt aimed at children, while these two, especially I Shall Wear Midnight, feel like they’re aimed at young adults.

                 In Wintersmith, Tiffany is staying with the ancient Miss Treason to learn more witchcraft. She’s nearly 13 and although she misses her home, she knows that she’ll never be truly respected as a witch unless she goes away. Everyone’s seen her as a child, so she needs to leave so that they’ll believe that she’s changed. She’s still being watched over by the Feegles, and she has a pen pal in Roland, the Baron’s son. One night, Miss Treason takes her to a Dark Morris dance which leads to the coming of winter. Even though Miss Treason warns Tiffany that she can only watch the dance, Tiffany ends up dancing in it. This means that she actually danced with the Wintersmith, and replaced Summer in the dance. Now the Wintersmith is intrigued by her, and wants to be with her … forever! Also,  Summer might never come again, since Tiffany’s replaced her. This book is all about personal responsibility and realizing that actions have consequences. Once Tiffany realizes that she’s made a major mistake, she has to do more than just apologize. She has to fix things.

                I Shall Wear Midnight is even darker in tone. Tiffany is nearly 16 and she has to deal with the consequences of what she has done with the Wintersmith. The magic she used then has awoken and called to her a monstrous being whose power is to make witches be hated and feared. This will lead to witches (or women who seem like witches) to be killed by the community that they cared for.  This book is much darker in tone than the first three, at least in the unmagical happenings. In the first chapter, Tiffany has to take care of a 13 year old girl whose father beat her so hard that she miscarried. As well, everyone is worried for Tiffany’s wellbeing because (scroll over for spoilers)  Roland is getting married to someone else! . Honestly, I think it’s for the best, but it’s a bit of a surprise after their friendship in the other 3 novels. Don't let the darker tone turn you off though. In spite of this its still full of humour  and it's exciting to read. And the young girl that Tiffany cares for does manage to escape her father and find a safe place to be.

                I really enjoyed both novels. I love that magic isn’t the answer to everything. I love that being a witch mainly involves doing things that other people don’t want to do or don’t think about like making sure a wizened old lady gets her bath or visiting lonely people. I really like that Tiffany always has to deal with the consequences of her actions, and that she is always capable even if she is scared. In my mind, she’s a pretty good role model.

CB # 17 The Little Stranger

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

            I do like ghost stories and I love horror. I like chill that runs down my spine as I read, but I don’t like to be scared after I finish a book. I don’t like the feeling when I’m lying in my bed that something is wrong. I don’t like feeling like closing my eyes is risky. To fight off this fact, I mainly read horror and ghost stories in the summer. The chill can’t stay for too long then, and the sun scares off all the murky thoughts from staying for too long.

I have to mention that I have loved the Sarah Waters novels that are set in the Victorian era, especially Fingersmith. It was thrilling and filled with crazy twists and turns. Waters seems to love exploring different genres each time she writes. I knew when I picked up The Little Stranger that it wasn’t set in the underbelly of the Victorian era, but instead in the grubby reality of post-WWII Britain. The gentry, or the upper class that has been falling apart since Jane Austen’s time is finally in the death throws, and part of the fear of the novel comes from the realisation that something real is finally dying off. The Little Stranger is set at dilapidated Hundreds Hall, where the matriarch and her two children are somehow still there. Roderick was injured in the war, and is having a hard time being the master of a falling-apart house. Caroline is a rather plain girl who doesn’t mind having the take care of the house almost completely by herself; in this time and place, she’s considered a spinster.

The story is told by Dr Faraday, an older bachelor who gets called down to the house one day to see to the maid, but gets entangled with the Ayres and the mysterious goings on in the house. Scorch marks are left in strange places, strange noises happen in the night, sweet and gentle dogs turn vicious and Roderick thinks that something is infecting the house and its inhabitants.

The horrors are not extreme, and Dr Faraday is able to rationalise away them all, but that’s not the point. The ghostly/ghastly occurrences appear to reflect the world outside of Hundreds. There is no place for the Ayres in the new society that is emerging after the war, and they realise it. The house just seems to reflect it back on them. Dr Faraday isn’t much help because he doesn’t seem to have any sense of self-reflection. His own mother used to work at the house, and he has always felt a strong connection to the house because of it. Instead of telling the Ayres to sell the place, he believes that things will work out in the end, without having any thoughts of how or why.

Now I just want to state my personal pet theory about the novel because I would love to know if anyone feels the same about it. Obviously, there is no one true answer, Waters likes to be ambiguous. I just had a feeling as I read that I need to sort through. So SPOILERS ahead after the jump

CB # 10 The Elegance of the Hedgehog

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Translated by Alison Anderson

Renée is the concierge at a fancy apartment building in Paris. She has the elegance of a hedgehog, for all of her better traits are hidden under all the ways that she pretends to be someone else. She loves Tolstoy, her cat is named Leo and she loves to challenge herself by reading about phenomenology and watching Japanese films. She hides these facts well. She pretends to be nothing more than a stupid woman who loves watching television and eating rudimentary food, when on the inside she’s on fire with thoughts. She loves beauty but she won’t let anyone else know it.

Paloma lives in one of the apartments in the building. She is twelve years old and decidedly precocious. She has decided to kill herself and burn down the building on her thirteenth birthday to spite her family, and so that she doesn’t end up trapped in the typical life of the bourgeois. There only seems to be one route to go when you’re wealthy and intelligent, and she doesn’t want to follow along. Obviously, these two women need to meet and find out about their similarities, but the novel doesn’t take the expected route.

I found this novel beautiful but frustrating. I loved the fact that the two main characters were thinking about the world they lived in. I loved the fact that they admired beauty, discussed philosophy and had thoughts about the kind of life they were living. They were interesting, unique individuals, but I was frustrated by the way they viewed the world. They obsessed about Beauty and Truth, but made serious efforts to disguise their love. They both hide their true selves from the world, and pretend that their hiding makes them noble, instead of scared. By being unwilling to expose their true selves and thoughts to the world, I found them both nihilistic, which I think was the complete opposite of what the novel intended. They assumed that no one ever could understand them so they gave up on trying to let people in. Paloma, I can almost understand, because she is so young, and teenagers are dramatic and frustrating even at the best of times. I have a harder time with Renée because she is an adult, and I feel that her experience of life should have given her a broader perspective on people.

I don’t know if it’s because I don’t have a full understanding of how French culture works that I had such a discomfort with the characters. I do know that there is a serious stasis for anyone who wants to be employed there, and maybe the novel is supposed to reflect this, as well as French class issues. I did love that the many subjects of my undergrad, phenomenology and great literature, were discussed, and made me feel more at home in this book.

This novel had some very thought provoking moments but my favourite one begins by saying: What is the purpose of intelligence if it is not to serve others?  […] If you belong to the closed inner sanctum of the elite, you must serve in equal proportion to the glory and ease of material existence you derive from belonging to that inner sanctum.

The only thing that matters is your intention: are you elevating thought and contributing to the common good, or rather joining the ranks in a field of study whose only purpose is its own perpetuation, and only function the self-reproduction of a sterile elite – for this turns university into a sect.

CB#6 Flipped

 Flipped by  Wendelin Van Draanen         (YA)

                Getting mail is one of the loveliest things. It’s so much more exciting than an email and mail is even better when it’s a friend sending you a book.  Thanks Britt, for making my day when you mailed me an awesome novel.

                 Van Draanen has been on my radar for a while because I really like her Sammy Keyes mysteries. Keyes is a tomboy in middle school who secretly lives with her grandmother because her gran isn’t supposed to have anyone living with her. She sarcastic, loves softball and solving mysteries. Keyes is a really awesome character who does what she believes in and doesn’t go along with the flow. Juli Baker is the same. She raises chickens, she loves soccer and she’ll stay up in the old sycamore tree to try to save it from being cut down.

                The narration of Flipped switches between the two main characters: Julianna Baker and  Bryce Loski. In the second grade, Juli has a crush on Bryce from the first time she meets him. He’s just so cute, and she’s been waiting for a friend her own age for a while. Meanwhile, Bryce is just terrified of her and doesn’t like that she’s messy and so eager to be friends. The plot quickly zips along to the eighth grade, noting that all the while Juli’s had a crush on Bryce, while Bryce tries to completely avoid her.

                However, things are starting to change. Juli is slowly becoming aware that Bryce isn’t who she sees him as, and Bryce is starting to wonder if he’s been worried about the right things all along. I have a major saw that I like to harp on, which is that we often fundamentally misunderstand people so that we can continue to see the world as we like. There’s a way that we like to see things, and so when something or someone doesn’t fit our original view, we just misunderstand it so that our viewpoint continues to work, to our personal detriment. Juli sees Bryce as a good person who’s just really shy, mainly because he’s so good looking. Bryce sees Juli as annoying but is too scared to tell her that’s she’s coming on too strong. As well, he is completely focused on appearances, thinking that her house is a mess, and he worries too much about what other people think. Of course, the way they feel is going to flip, and maybe Bryce can change.

                In the Q & A in the back, Van Draanen  talks about being a teacher and noticing how her students always had crushes on such unworthy people. However, those people were cute or pretty, and as a teacher she couldn’t really say anything. I think Flipped really does try to show that appearances aren’t everything. As well, it honestly portrays the ridiculous moments of boy craziness that can happen to anyone, even smart, sensible girls. I remember middle school, and those stupid stomach flips and moments of going crazy over someone who wasn’t that special at all. My only thing to criticize is that I felt like Juli’s crush started too early for it to last for so long. Five years is a long time, especially if you aren’t really talking to him.

CB #5 Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins    (YA)

                Possible spoilers to every book in the trilogy (I’m sorry)

I thought that this was the perfect conclusion to the trilogy. In fact, I feel like it’s the only right way for things to end.   The Hunger Games can be seen as about the way that suffering can be unreal entertainment when it’s not happening to you. The Capitol’s citizens don’t seem to realize that real children are dying as they watch it on the big screen. Innocents are forcibly destroying each other for their own survival, and the Capitol places bets. In Mockingjay, the fight comes to the Capitol and its children, but it doesn’t make everything better for those in the Districts. Instead Mockingjay is about the way that violence and power struggles can only be damaging. At least, that was how I saw it.

I’m not really going to comment on the narrative itself, but instead on the possible issues that people may have with it. I never saw this trilogy as being about a great love story. I felt that Katniss has too much to think about and do to have any time for romance. Sure there are two men for her to fall for, but I don’t think that Katniss understood either of them enough to really fall in love, until perhaps the very end. Especially in the first book, you saw how she went through the motions to keep both herself and Peeta alive.  For me, this trilogy is about the other kinds of love that exist: love for family members that is so strong that you’ll give up your life and your chances of happiness for them,  a love for truth that means you’ll sacrifice your life so that the “better” leader will survive the Games, and a love for friends. I can’t even see a Team Gale or a Team Peeta in this story, though apparently others have seen it this way. Katniss needs to survive long enough for her to have a life, before she can even think about love.

As well, in this novel we finally see the consequences of all of the fighting. None of the victors of the Games are fully themselves anymore. All the fighting means that they’ve lost any sense of stability they may have had before. I found this, though dark and troubling, very realistic. I honestly wouldn’t expect any of them to have stayed the same. I read another review just after finishing the books that said that Mockingjay was too dark in comparison to The Hunger Games. I have to disagree. Mockingjay is about consequences catching up to people. It’s about the complications of reality and politics. As well, The Hunger Games was about children killing each other, and that's never a cheerful subject.

Anyway, I really loved the trilogy and I would recommend it to anyone who loves dystopias or novels about political power struggles. If you liked the political aspects I would suggest that Megan Whalen Turner’s novels about Attolia, starting with The Thief. They’re set in a fictional kingdom in the past, but they’re as gritty and political as The Hunger Games.

CB #4 Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins  (YA)

                Catching Fire is definitely the second book in a trilogy. It has the non-beginning and non-ending that sometimes happens with trilogies (think Pirates of the Caribbean). It’s not necessarily the fault of the trilogy format, especially since The Subtle Knife is my favourite of the His Dark Materials trilogy and Back to the Future II is just plain awesome. However, it makes me wonder if it wouldn’t have been better to have the stories of Catching Fire and Mockingjay put in one book. NB: If you haven’t read Hunger Games yet, you might want to stop reading.

You're still with me? Katniss and Peeta survived the game, but now the Capitol is basically out to destroy Katniss and her family’s life. They can’t do this overtly, because their entire audience loved the star-crossed lovers who could not live without each other story that Katniss used to save both their lives. However, Captiol saw her actions as rebellion and as the spark that may convince the Districts to rebel against the Capitol. Now Katniss must use all her skill to  convince the Capitol that she really does love Peeta.

Now I did have a few issues with this book so if you haven’t read it, you won’t want to read further.

                I HATED the idea of the Quarter Quell using previous victors. I know it was just a way to get back at the Katniss. This time there would be no way to save Peeta and herself, so she’s going to want to sacrifice herself to save the better person. I was mainly bothered by the way it brought the Hunger Games back into the novel. I know it adds excitement and tension to the story, but it felt cheap. It felt like a repeat of the first novel. What did surprise me was how many of the previous victors weren’t completely mentally destroyed by their experiences in the ring. Haymitch, Katniss' mentor, is an alcoholic, and there are a few drug addicts, but otherwise the victors are surprisingly stable. One roommate noted that this was probably because those who survived the ring were mentally strong and had an incredible will to live, and would never do anything that would harm their ability to survive. Once again, I would be a complete mess if I survived anything like that. All I'd do is cry.

               There were still a few things that I liked about this book though. I liked that Peeta pretended that Katniss was pregnant with their child. It’s one way to make the audience in the Capitol remember that those who fight are people too. I also liked that Katniss and Peeta basically ignored each other for a while after the Games. Of course they were forced to go around the Districts on tour together, but for a while they could pretend to be differnent people.

CB #3 The Hunger Games

 The Hunger Games  by Suzanne Collins   YA

                Here’s the thing about living with a bunch of library students. When one person’s read something that she loves… well she really want to talk about it. So once two of my roommates had read The Hunger Games trilogy, I simply had to or else I would be left out of the conversation. It was definitely worth it, and highly engrossing. I read the entire trilogy in a week.

                The first novel,The Hunger Games, was described to me as “Survivor meets 1984”. I’d describe it as Battle Royale but they didn’t go to high school together. In the distant future, the Hunger Games are an annual televised event in which two children (12-18) are taken from each of the twelve districts of what remains of North America and forced to kill each other. The victor is the only survivor and he or she brings honor (and more food) to their district. In reality, the games are a way for the Capitol to demonstrate its power over the other states. Every year they kill some of the district’s children, and therefore some of the district’s hope for the future.

                Katniss is the narrator and she’s prickly. Or at least she likes to think so. I know that she’s supposed to be hardened, but in my mind she’s really sweet. When her sister’s name is drawn for the Games, Katniss immediately takes her place. She doesn’t even think. So for me, everything she does is coloured by that act, especially when she acts tough. Unfortunately, the other person from District 12 is Peeta, whose act of kindness towards Katniss helped her turn her life around and care for her family after her father’s death. It’s hard to know that you may have to kill the person who helped you save your life.

                Sometimes Katniss is a little bit too media savvy as she plays the Games. She knows that there are always cameras so she tries to do things to win over the audience. She knows that they can sponsor her and send her food, water, medicine and weapons. Sometimes her savvy comes across as a bit much. However, other than that she comes across as a real person. I’ll talk about her relationship with love in the review for Mockingjay, because I think it’s an overall series issue for sure.

                Overall, I loved this book and as soon as I finished it, I had to read the other two. I would like to mention that the participants in the Hunger Games are far more brave than I would be. The second I was able to, I’d run as far away as I could and then cry in a curled up ball until someone found me and killed me. Instead, Katniss is able to pick up some helpful items, make some allies and SPOILER (but it’s a trilogy so you knew this) survive.

All I want to do is write to you...

The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty         (YA)

                 Cassie, Emily and Lydia are three best friends who go to posh Ashbury in Australia, but their teacher wants to expand their horizons and makes the entire class write letters to the close by but “rough” Brookfield High. Although the girls have low expectations that this experiment can work, Emily and Lydia find that their male pen pals are actually alright people… even if they go to Brookfield. Cassie, however, has already been having a hard time in her personal life, and her pen pal just seems to be making things worse.

                I’m just going to put it out there that I love Jaclyn Moriarty. She writes epistolary novels, with this novel consisting of letters, diary entries and notes left around the house. It really allows the reader to get inside the heads of  the three friends, and also understand the Brookfield boys. Each character has a unique writing style and it helps to create really distinct personalities. I also love how the three girls relate to each other. Sure there are boys and the possibility of romance, but that is not in any way their main focus. They really care about each other, and they try to help each other out any way they can. The secret assignments from the title are a way for Emily and Lydia to distract Cassie from her grief and hopefully cheer her up. The girls are also really funny, especially Lydia who writes the most absurd, hilarious things to her pen pal in the hopes of scaring him off. These girls aren’t perfect by any standard, but that’s the reason why you’d want to be friends with them.

 If you’ve read Feeling Sorry for Cecilia, then Elizabeth makes a quick appearance and you’ll meet Bindy from The Murder of Bindy MacKenzie. My favourite Moriarty is Feeling Sorry for Cecilia, which is about building a new friendship when an old one falls through. I loved that novel because some of the letters from groups like the Association of Teenagers, and the Cold Hard Truth Society, showed how Elizabeth thinks in a funny but honest way. The Year of Secret Assignments is always written by a particular character, which still works but can be less engaging. We know that some thing is going on with Cassie, but since the friends know what's happened, we rarely get any information about it. However, I still love this novel for its humour and its portrayal of friendship.

That girl was born for trouble

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart  (Y.A)

                Every so often you get your hands on a book that makes you want to cause some serious trouble. I mean, I now want to organize a group who works in mysterious ways to arrange Dada-esque protests in an attempt to change the social order.  I want to have a secret order at my beck and call, and I don’t want any of its members to realize that they are acting under my orders. I want to be Frankie.

                Not really, though, because Frankie never gets any respect. Everyone, including her adorable new boyfriend, severely underestimates her. She just recently bloomed, so people are falling all over her as if she’s new, but she remembers how she seemed invisible before. She’s tired of only being noticed when she needs to be rescued.  She’s mad that her boyfriend isn’t as interested in her life as she is in his. She’s mad that she’s seen as Matt’s girlfriend and not as a person in her own right and she’s mad that the guys at her boarding school have no idea of their male privilege. However, Frankie has a plan. She’s learned about the panopticon and she is ready to take it on with some tips from the Suicide Club.

                What I really loved about this book was Frankie and her single-minded need to have some power.  It’s hard to be honest about it, but everyone does want some power, some control and it’s rarer to see female characters portrayed as openly desiring it. Frankie just wants what she wants and she is willing to go after it.  As well, the girl has a wicked mind. The pranks she has the Order play are pointed and symbolic and they actually do affect some change into her world, even if the people she is trying to impress don’t realize it. The subtext of the novel indicates that the people who will understand her message best are not those in power, but those who never see power as an option, All in all, I love this lady and her willingness to destroy the cultural hegemony just so people will stop underestimating her.

               I have to agree with the narrator who says, “ And so, another possibility – the possibility I hold out for – is that Frankie Landau-Banks will open the doors she is trying to get through.  And she will grow up to change the world.”