Why I love Contemporary YA - Just Contemporary, week 1!

WHY I LOVE CONTEMPORARY YA
Learn about the Just Contemporary event here.

Contemporary means present or modern.  And in the world of YA books, it typically means teens just living their lives, taking one step at a time, dealing with school, family and boys, of course.  But why is this appealing? Why do I read it when there are blood-thirsty vampires and wizards running about?

Because contemporary YA is real. It doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not, because it can’t. It’s real life. It’s relatable. It’s knowing you’ve got something in common with someone. It’s knowing you’re not alone, no matter the subject.

What would my teenage years have been like without Meg Cabot? The old Meg Cabot. I’m talking Princess Diaries and All American Girl, with their awkward, nerdy female protagonists, looking for ways to embrace their weirdness.  What would I have done without Sam and Mia? They helped me think that just maybe high school could be bearable.

Or what about Rachel Cohn’s Gingerbread series? If not for those, I’d have never gotten an up-close look at the constructs of long-distance relationships, or the matching of fun with work.  I’d also certainly not have longed for a surfer boyfriend.

And I can’t not mention Sarah Dessen, who is probably considered the Mother of all Contemporary YA. (And rightfully so.)  Her stories illuminate the lives of teens everywhere, dealing with issues of friendship to family hardships to medical problems.  She takes the pain and coaxes it, showing that things really will be all right, if you give them the chance to be.

And then every once in a while, you come across those special books – the ones that will stay with you for a long time.  They’re not just beautiful, they’re powerful.  They take your world and turn it upside down, leaving nothing but raw emotion in their wake. For me, this type of special book is, and always will be, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.  It deals with a controversial topic, and is often banned, but in all honesty, it’s moving. Touching. Poignant. I can’t imagine anyone reading Speak and not being sucked into the contemporary YA circuit. It’s that wonderful.

There’s a lot to learn from contemporary YA, and I think that’s what keeps me coming back for more. The lessons never end.  I can read ten books about boyfriends and breakups and rotten friends, and still see a different perception – a different angle to the story – every time. It never gets old.

Contemporary YA is me.

REVIEW! Dash & Lily's Book of Dares.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
Rachel Cohn & David Levithan



FROM THE COVER:

I’ve left some clues for you.

If you want them, turn the page.

If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.

Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash the right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

My rating: 3 hearts.

MY THOUGHTS:

Ultimately unconvincing.

The notebook Dash and Lily exchange is hardly a book of dares, and what they do share is hardly dreams and desires. Instead it more resembles fluff – stereotypical boy/girl issues.

Dash is charming and creative, but also too pragmatic; the mix of his personality is unsettling and remains that way throughout the novel. Lily can hardly be considered a sixteen-year-old. Her character is overwhelmingly immature and bland. If anything saves the two of them, it’s Dash’s dialogue, which is most times witty. But the two of them are very unconvincing in terms of chemistry.

The plot seems scatterbrained and unfocused. Events happen and characters appear and all I can ask is, Why? The main premise of the notebook is ditched halfway through the story. There’s buildup to their meeting, and then it simply falls flat. Some issues are never resolved, especially parental issues, and so they feel unnecessary.

The writing itself is lacking. It’s repetitive, descriptions are dull, and the dialogue seems forced. Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares leaves much to be desired.

REVIEW! Shrimp.

(Hardback and paperback, respectively.)

Shrimp

Rachel Cohn

FROM THE COVER:

If Cyd Charisse knows one thing, it’s that Shrimp is her true love. Shrimp, the hottest pint-size surfer-artist in San Francisco – or ‘that boy’ as her mother calls him. He’s the primary cause of Cyd being grounded, and the boy who dumped her before she left home for the summer.

Now it’s the start of senior year. Cyd has changed, buy maybe Shrimp has too. Cyd and Shrimp need to get to know each other all over again to figure out if this time it’s for real. But can Cyd get back together with Shrimp and keep the peace with her mom? And can she get a life outside of her all-encompassing boy radar?

My rating: 4 hearts.

MY THOUGHTS:

I never read Gingerbread, even though it’s the first in the series/trilogy. I started with Shrimp. And I have to say, I wasn’t lost one bit. Cohn makes it so you don’t feel as though you’re missing out on anything important and MUST start with Gingerbread, and that’s a plus for me.

As far as characters go, Cyd is very likeable. I love her voice: it’s relatable, edgy, spunky. And Shrimp – he’s adorable. At first the two of them seem shallow and underdeveloped, but then their personalities expand and go deeper, and it’s wonderful. Cohn is able to make their relationship unlike other YA romances. Instead of their relationship being rushed and awkward, Cyd and Shrimp take time to move along, and it’s more believable that way. It’s also sweeter.

The writing itself is engaging. Cyd’s voice isn’t quite one-of-a-kind, but it’s different enough that it’s entertaining. The writing isn’t so much about the descriptions as it is the story. As Cyd and Shrimp go back and forth, you won’t want their story to end.

EXTRA: The series is as follows: Gingerbread, Shrimp, and Cupcake.

Waiting On Wednesday (1).

Since I'm busy with school and reviews are taking longer than usual to write, I decided to busy you all (and myself) with the Waiting On Wednesday meme from Jill, at Breaking the Spine.


So what am I waiting on?

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares
by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Release: 10/26/2010.

From Amazon:
“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?


I've never read Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, or Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List, but Dash and Lily's Book of Dares sounds more appealing to me; seems more adventurous and - possibly - more realistic? I have high hopes for it.