Good Reads & Views

Lost Causes of Bleak Creek by Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal
Fiction

What is it: Rex, Leif, and Alicia are best friends living in the small southern town of Bleak Creek. They’re spending their summer before 9^th grade filming a movie about a ghost dog appropriately named “PolterDog.” While shooting a pivotal scene, they have an accident involving the head of The Whitewood School, which is a reform school in their town. Many troublesome children, or lost causes, get sent there. Some are sent home, changed somehow. Others never make it back home. When Alicia gets sent there, Rex and Leif are determined to figure out a way to help her escape. But strange things start to happen, which cause Rex and Leif to question what is really going on at The Whitewood School.

Why you might like it: This story will keep you in suspense. There are some very dark and creepy elements, reminiscent of Stranger Things. So, even though the 2 main characters are 14 years old, this isn’t a book for kids. Readers will develop with the characters and the story unravels nicely. Readers will be begging for a sequel.

About the Authors: Rhett & Link are popular internetainers, with over 20 million subscribers on YouTube. They host a daily morning show, Good Mythical Morning, and produce a weekly podcast, Ear Biscuits.

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Open Book by Jessica Simpson
Nonfiction

What’s inside: Open Book is a memoir of Jessica Simpson, a pop star who hit her stride in the late ‘90s, early ‘00s. You may remember her from her MTV reality show Newlyweds with her then-husband Nick Lachey. She was portrayed through the media as a ditzy-dumb blond who is always the butt of the joke. But her memoir reveals just how much hurt and pain she was in during most of her adult life. She was thrust into the limelight at such a young age, she never really had a chance to discover who she was without the influence of media, her family, or her significant others.

Is it for you? This memoir truly is a story of discovering yourself and who you are. Jessica figured out who she was meant to be, and how she was supposed to spread light in this world. If you’ve had a similar journey, this book is for you. If you’re a woman who has felt judged or scrutinized by how you look, this book is for you. And even if you love pop culture and are looking for Jessica to spill the tea on her past relationships, this book is DEFINITELY for you.

Want a taste? “You’ve been listening to me talk, so I want to hear from you. Press pause for a second on your life and ask yourself, What is my calling? What makes you feel passionate? … I think sometimes we get so caught up in the vessel of the work rather than what matters: the spirit that fills it” (Open Book, 259).

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Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
YA Fiction

What it’s about: Amy Gumm lives in Kansas with her deadbeat mother and their pet rat, Star. Her mom goes through waves of depression, in and out like her hand in her bag of Bugles. She is usually found on the couch, but the night of the storm she found her way out to a tornado party. While she is away, Amy gets swept up in the tornado, and lands in Oz. But this isn’t Oz like she remembers. Nothing is cheery. Nothing is bright. She wanders, accompanied by Star, meeting up with a munchkin, Indigo, who has swirling, twirling tattoos, and Ollie, a wingless-winged monkey. She quickly learns you can’t trust anyone in this version of Oz and winds up training with the wicked to kill Dorothy. Will she succeed?

Is it for you? If you have an emotional attachment to the angelic, doe eyed, rosy cheeked, Judy Garland version of Dorothy Gale, might I suggest a different title? But if you like gruesome, and sometimes macabre retellings of classic stories, give this one a go.

Look for: Book 2 in this series: The Wicked Will Rise.

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Lighter Than My Shadow by Katie Green
YA Nonfiction

What is it: This is a story of recovery. Katie Green grew up in a typical family with typical friends. However, the people in her life always seemed to make a big deal about how much she did or did not eat. Her friends would stress and worry about their bodies, pinching at their extra skin, and complaining about boys. Saying things like, “I wish I could be anorexic… to be able to just not eat, if I wanted to” or “I’d do anything to be skinny like Katie” (68). Katie was naturally thin but being surrounded by toxic self-talk and being scrutinized about her body at every turn led her down the road to an eating disorder. At first, she skipped meals, became obsessed with counting her calories, and counting her ribs. Eventually she stopped eating altogether and landed herself in a hospital bed. The remainder of the graphic novel depicts her various routes of treatment and her struggles with recovery and relapse.

Why it’s significant: According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, hospitalizations for eating disorders in children under the age of 12 has increased by 119% between 1999 and 2006. It’s so important for young people to be made aware of these diseases and their lifelong implications. The way Katie Green illustrates the fog of her eating disorder, always looming over her every decision and every mouthful, is a powerful image. Its accuracy is spot-on. The feelings she depicts are spot-on. And I think anyone who has ever felt unsure about their body should pick up this title.

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Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash
YA Nonfiction

What is it: A graphic novel memoir about Maggie Thrash and her coming of age while at an all-girl summer camp. During this one poignant summer, she comes to terms with her sexuality, confesses feelings for another female, shoots her distinguished expert at the rifle range, and performs in drag as Kevin Richardson of the Backstreet Boys.

Who it’s for: The references to boy band rivalries are amusing if you grew up in the late ‘90s, early 2000s. The summer camp activities and topics of conversation are spot on and will bring back memories for former campers. Thrash also just tells a beautiful story. It’s sad, and you’re left with a great sense of longing… but doesn’t every first love story end that way? 

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The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz
YA Fiction

What it’s about: The coming of age of Salvador Silva. Adopted at a young age by Vicente, a homosexual artist living in Texas, Salvador struggles with his identity. Just before his senior year of high school, he receives a letter from his deceased mother and starts becoming more aggressive at school. He wonders about his biological father, and if these feelings of anger are coming from a man he has never met. Intertwined with these feelings of self-discovery are his relationships with best friend Sam, a misunderstood classmate Fito, and his beloved grandmother, Mima.

Why you might like it: Saenz, having published poetry before publishing novels, writes in a way that makes reading enjoyable. His characters are complex but also universal. Everyone in this world can relate to feelings of anger and doubt, uncertainty and hopelessness, but also closure and pure joy. He conveys such emotions effortlessly.

Further reading: If you liked this, you will absolutely love Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, also by Benjamin Alire Saenz.

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A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
Fiction

What it’s about: Picoult tells the story of the lives of men and women inside a woman’s reproductive health services clinic, as a disgruntled man rushes inside, opens fire, and takes all who remain alive inside hostage.

Why you might like it: The stories of these lives and how they become intertwined is told in reverse chronological order. The novel starts at 5 pm, nearing the end of the hostage situation. You’re introduced to characters who have died, and as you read you learn who they are and how they met their demise. It can be a little confusing, and hard to get used to, but, in the end, it made for very effective story telling. Picoult did extensive research while writing this book, talking with pro-life activists, pro-choice advocates, women who have sought abortions, as well as the doctors and nurses who helped with those kinds of procedures. It is a hot-button issue, more now than ever, and Picoult dives into this subject matter with dignity, grace, and respect for BOTH sides.

From the author: “Honestly, I do not believe we, as a society, will ever agree on this issue. The stakes are too high, and both sides operate from places of unshakable belief. But I do think that the first step is to talk to each other-and more important, to listen. We may not see eye to eye, but we can respect each other’s opinions and find the truth in them. Perhaps in those honest conversations, instead of demonizing each other, we might see each other as imperfect humans, doing our best” (p.364).

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Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children’s Book edited by Anita Silvey
Nonfiction

What’s inside: Miniature essays about life lessons by various influencers. Celebrities, authors, and illustrators go into detail about how certain children’s books have influenced their life and career.

Why you might like it: Whether you’re a parent reading these books to your child now, or an empty nester revisiting these titles, you’re sure to feel a wave of nostalgia. As a parent, I am often looking for other lessons or deeper meanings in books to teach to my children, and it’s nice to read about other adults who feel the same. Even as an adult, the messages in books intended for children are so pure and honest, it really restores faith in humanity.

Want a taste? “Oz was not the real world, but it prepared me for the disasters and disappointments that lay ahead. I have always allowed myself to be guided by brains, heart, and courage…” (Hearn, 15).

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My Lobotomy by Howard Dully
Nonfiction

What it’s about: At only 12 years old, Howard Dully became the youngest person to receive a transorbital lobotomy. This memoir is a retelling of his childhood leading up to the procedure, the operation itself, and then his struggle to put the pieces together as to WHY his father let it happen to him.

Why it’s significant: This book really shows the reader how much times have changed regarding medical procedures, mental health and child abuse. Howard Dully lived with his father, stepmother, and two step brothers, and was regarded as a normal adolescent boy by many healthcare professionals. And yet, his stepmother berated him, punished him unjustly, and constantly took him to doctors until she found a way to “cure” him. Walter Freeman, a neurologist who specialized in lobotomies, decided he could cure him of any behavior issues, which resulted in his procedure. Dully spent the rest of his life trying to figure out why his father would let someone do that to him. He has suffered greatly in his adult life, both mentally and physically, because of it. Yes, he was able to overcome everything, and live a successful life.

Why you might like it: It’s a story of betrayal and overcoming the odds. Dully’s journey is truly remarkable and unbelievable.

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Goliath by Tom Gauld
Nonfiction

What it is: A retelling of the classic David and Goliath story, with a twist. In this graphic novel, Goliath keeps a low profile as the Philistines bookkeeper, doing mainly paper pushing for the king, and has no interest in fighting. He gets forced into provoking the enemy camp across the valley simply because of his size. After 40 days, he meets David.

Why you might like it: Most people know how Goliath is portrayed in the bible, but if you’re looking for a new perspective that will make you feel and care for the Giant, this is for you.

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