Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
For anyone who wants the next fun vampire book, but is a little bit sick of vampires, Generation Dead might just hit the spot. While the story isn’t filled with typical zombie drama (no one eats anyone’s brains, for one), there is enough mystery and drama to keep these undead kids busy. No one knows why some teenagers are returning to the living as zombies. Most at Oakvale High are disgusted by the “dead kids,” but goth-clad (living girl) Phoebe is strangely fascinated by their behaviors, their attitudes, and especially by cute Tommy who seems to have more ambition and energy than the rest of them. Margi is grossed out by Phoebe’s crush, and Adam can’t believe that Phoebe would rather be with “worm food” than with him – a star football player and her best friend. But clouding this simple love triangle is the fact that some people are out to eliminate the “living impaired” – for good. Zombies don’t have the same rights as the living; is it murder to kill a zombie (again)? Of course, Phoebe, Margie, and Adam get wrapped up in the drama, and amidst the excitement, readers will ponder the similarities between the zombies and practically every other group of people who are labeled “different.” There are no heavy-handed messages here, but you won’t be able to help but recognize deeper levels of social injustices.
Want more? Tommy keeps a blog throughout the story, and still updates it regularly even after you’ve finished the book: www.mysocalledundead.com.
Truancy : A Novel by Isamu Fukui
This action-packed, blood-soaked, single-minded adventure is a common tale of good vs. evil filled with characters who all believe that they are on the side of “good.” The Mayor and his Educators fight to maintain control over The City by restricting the actions and knowledge of their students. Former students and their leader, Zyid, make up a group known as Truants to battle the Educators for their physical, emotional, and academic freedom. And then there is Umasi, one of the Mayor’s sons, who lives in isolation as a pacifist – sympathetic to the plight of the students, but refusing to be party to the violence on either side. When Tack’s little sister becomes an innocent victim at the hands of a Truant, he vows to enact revenge. Ironically, with Umasi as his mentor, he has learned skills that make him one of the top members of the Truancy, allowing him to fit in easily among the other runaway students, and he uses the advantage to build trust with Zyid. Complications mount as Tack begins to recognize his loyalty to the Truancy, and how that interferes with his plans to avenge his sister’s death. He must come to his own conclusions . . . but at the risk of how many lives?
The book could have benefited from a thorough editing job. The amount of adjectives in every sentence could rival a thesaurus, and often the characters seem wooden and one-dimensional. However, the fast pace that carries along the action, adventure, and mystery are likely to keep the reader’s attention and interest. Those who are reading more for the excitement of the story will be enthralled, as long as they aren’t too critical of the dialogue.
Appropriate for older middle school and early high school, and recommended to boys and girls alike. Teen readers will love that this book was written a high school student from NYC.
Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
A story of this nature might not speak to every reader. But those who can appreciate the layered complexities of Fergus’s simple life will not be disappointed by the late Siobhan Dowd’s storytelling.
Fergus is living in Ireland during the early 1980s, a time of great tension between Northern Ireland and the Republic, when danger blankets politics, religion, and everyday life, even for a boy who is simply focused on passing his A-levels and his driver’s test. One usual morning, Fergus and his uncle uncover a body buried in the bog, and now Fergus and local archeologists become very interested in learning more about this body that he has named Mel. Bogs are areas of wet, marshy land, abundant in Ireland , and it is significant to know that bogs can preserve organic material in remarkable condition. As Fergus dreams about Mel and what her life may have been like, the archeologists discover the Mel was alive in 80 A.D.; how and why Mel died with a noose around her neck reveals much of Ireland ’s history as well as human nature. While Fergus is the “student” of the family, hoping to leave the tumultuous Ireland for medical school, his brother Joe is the “soldier,” intent on fighting the good fight for a war-torn Ireland . As Joe takes part in the hunger strikes from his place in prison, their family is torn between respecting Joe’s right to his beliefs and their own desires to keep him alive.
The past and present come together with great force in this fictional account of the struggle of Ireland ’s history. Simultaneous issues of political and religious freedoms, self-independence, and faith in the world clash during a time in history – and a time in a young boy’s life – when nothing is as it seems, and surprises and relief seem just around the corner, and yet a world away. Bog Child is recommended for all readers interested in a well-told, intriguing story, especially those with a particular interest in Irish history or a good historical mystery.
Katherine Vasilik, Teen Librarian – Franklin Lakes (NJ) Public Library
tel: 201-891-2224 x105
fax: 201-891-5102
vasilik@bccls.org
kate_thelibrarian@yahoo.com