REVIEW: Proxy, by Alex London

Knox was born into one of the City's wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death.

Syd is a Proxy.  His life is not his own.

Then again, neither is Knox’s. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid.

Wow.

I know it seems I do that a lot...just "Wow." And then want to stop in my review because I don't really know what else to say. 

Proxy is a very well thought-out and written dystopian take on concept of a "whipping boy." (There's been a couple of well-known books with this line...The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman---the Newberry winner in 1987--, and Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper.) Basically, Knox, the well-off trouble-maker, does things that need to be punished, but is considered to high class (society-wise) to be actually punished himself, so his proxy, Syd, gets the honors. Syd, in exchange, gets his schooling paid for...though he does owe his patron a debt of time as the whipping boy.

But when things take a turn for the worse (Knox is basically convicted of vehicular manslaughter), Syd is sentenced to pay the ultimate price for him. The plan is how society functions, but it all goes south from there....at least in the eyes of Knox's father.

I loved these characters. LOVED them. Syd is this wallflower type, who tries like the dickens to live under the radar. Knox is a spoiled rich kid. Then there's Marie...who Knox thought he'd killed. She's been a spoiled rich kid, but she has a conscience. 

Syd comes out of his shell simply because he wants to live--even if living means having to give up his life to end the Patron/Proxy system and erase all debts for everyone. Knox is arrogant and spoiled and really only wants to get back at his cold-hearted father. Marie seeks a greater good for all, not just those who can afford it. All 3 have life-altering truths to learn about themselves, and the adults in their worlds.

The story kept me going. It was twisting and turning, and frankly, I was up all night finishing this one. I was so enthralled that every little interruption to my reading was viewed as a personal insult. Each "chunk" of the story, the various scenes in it, had its own rising and falling action, with a climax that caught my breath. And every time I thought I had a couple pages to relax, I was wrong.

What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Penguin Young Readers Group through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

REVIEW: Far Far Away, by Tom McNeal

Far Far Away

It says quite a lot about Jeremy Johnson Johnson that the strangest thing about him isn't even the fact his mother and father both had the same last name. Jeremy once admitted he's able to hear voices, and the townspeople of Never Better have treated him like an outsider since. After his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it's been up to Jeremy to support the family. But it hasn't been up to Jeremy alone.
The truth is, Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specificially, one voice: the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of the infamous writing duo, The Brothers Grimm. Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when the provocative local girl Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into motion. And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all fairy tales have happy endings. . . 

Oh this was AWESOME. Seriously. I can't say enough good things about this story and the writing. 

First, Jeremy Johnson Johnson is an imperfect person and is aware of it...such a good thing to read (especially after reading a couple where the teen didn't think they could do any wrong, themselves). He's an anti-hero, if he's a hero at all. He doesn't see how great he is (I mean, his own mother left him) and his father won't work. Ginger, a fairly popular girl at school has taken a shine to him, and is really hoping to prove to Jeremy just how wonderful he is.

Jeremy's otherworldly friend is Jacob Grimm (what an awesome idea!). McNeal takes this twist, and builds a story that is very Grimmsian (to coin a word) in nature--there's a magical element, an unsuspecting village, and a dark mystery surrounding one of the best loved villagers. 

That was the best part for me--I felt like I was reading a modern-day Grimm fairy tale, where not every thing is sunshine and daisies. This is definitely one that should be on everyone's list!

What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Random House Children's Books through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

REVIEW: 15 Days Without a Head, by Dave Cousins

15 Days Without a Head
2013

Despite having a depressed alcoholic mother and a little brother who’s convinced he’s a dog, fifteen year-old Laurence Roach is trying to live a normal life. But when his mom doesn’t come home after work one night, Laurence is terrified that child services will find out she’s gone and separate him from his brother.

For two weeks, Laurence does whatever he can to keep her disappearance a secret. Spinning a web of complicated lies for friends, neighbors, and the authorities, Laurence even dresses like his mother to convince everyone she’s still around. By following clues, the brothers are finally able to track down their mother’s whereabouts. And that’s when the real trouble begins in this powerful story about what it means to be a family

Goodness, what a dismal life Laurence is living, and trying to hold together for his brother. Despite reading the blurb, I hadn't expected this story with this title.

Laurence is the overlooked kid--flies under the radio because that's where he best exists. I love that he fights to be overlooked, especially when the alternative could destroy his small corner of the world. He's the epitome of "don't look at me desperation." 

15 Days is a pretty easy read. Not too heavy on the vocab. The story, by nature, is dark, but in the sense that reality is sometimes very dark. Laurence teaches us about resilience, persistence, and the importance of family--even when they aren't everything you need.

What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Flux Books through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed              
                                          are my own.

REVIEW: There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes, by Robert Jacoby

There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes

You need your eyes, don't you?

So does Richard Issych. Two weeks ago he overdosed. Now he's fighting for his life, finding threatening notes like that one on his nightstand.

19-year-old Richard Issych wakes to a harsh new reality inside an inpatient unit. Now Richard's journey turns into one of revelations and struggling through his own reasons for being as he discovers new meanings for redemption, sacrifice, hope, love-and the will to live.

In the end, what are the reasons Noah packed no clothes? Richard can only imagine. But it has something to do with a size 3XL bowling shirt with the name "Noah" stitched over the pocket.

There are reasons . . . everyone uses his own dictionary.
There are reasons . . . some new heavens come from some new hells.

First, I had a hard time reading this book in the beginning. The subject matter isn't difficult, it's the train of thought the speaker has. Meaning, this is some sort of mix between narrative and stream of consciousness in the beginning. And it's all 3rd person. 

It's really rather a neat device, though. As Richard comes out of his drug-induced fog and begins to see things clearly, the speaker is more clear. When there's panic and paranoia..there's panic and paranoia evident in the speaker's voice. The teenager tone is VERY evident in this speaker (though, I work 5 days a week with that teenager tone, so I might be biased.)

It's a really good story. Richard is really just a typical kid in a not-so-terrible situation who just doesn't see any way of overcoming his disenchantment with life and depression--well, overcoming and still be alive. He grows up in the story, through interactions with those much worse off than he.

It does have some rather edgy bits--suicidal thoughts, some very inappropriate relations, etc.--that would make it hard for me to put on the shelves in my conservative small Texas town. I could hand it to mature juniors and seniors, but not my freshman and sophomore readers. 

What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Cloud Books through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

REVIEW: Identity Theft, by Anna Davies

Identity Theft (Point Horror)

Hayley is going to have the best year ever. After years of careful planning, she's ready to serve as student council president AND editor-in-chief of the newspaper. Ivy League, here she comes!
However, just before student council elections, someone creates a fake facebook profile for Hayley and starts posting inappropriate photos and incriminating updates. It must be the work of a highly skilled Photoshopper, but the attention to detail is scary. The embarrassing photos of "Hayley" in her bathing suit reveal a birthmark on her back--a birth mark Hayley has never shown in public. . . .
The situation escalates until Hayley's mother reveals some shocking information. Hayley isn't an only child: She has a twin sister who was adopted by a different family. And that's not all. Soon, Hayley discovers that her long-lost sister isn't just playing a prank--she's plotting to take over Hayley's life . . . by any means necessary.

Ok..so I was totally expecting a formula. Definitely thought I'd read this story line once before, and frankly heard about it on the news or FB horror stories. 

I was wrong. This is such a DIFFERENT twist than what I'd thought. And these twins are not Parent Trap twins...oh NO. 

It took a little bit for this story to find and sustain a "groove." And it's full of pop culture references, which might make it a bit dated in a hurry. Maybe not. One can never tell. It does remind me of the "horror" novels I read as a tween/early teen that were that formulaic model, but it redeems itself in being a new twist.

Predictable characters (despite the not-so-predictable story line), with Hayley coming across as whiney and no one believing her. But really, who would believe all this? I just didn't like the whiney-ness, but that might work for others.

It's a good, quick read for girls who like this sub-genre. I'd hand it to my casual readers, not my critical readers.

What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Scholastic (Point) through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.