Christmas has always been a time of joy and plenty for the Swift Family of Indianapolis, Indiana.  Not this year.  It's 1932.  With the Great Depression causing hardship and destitution all over the country, it's shaping up to be a bleak holiday for everyone.  With four siblings, 11-year-old Minnie is already wondering how her family is going to make ends meet.  Then, her parents decide to take in Willie Faye Darling, Minnie's cousin from the Texas Panhandle.  Also 11, Willie Faye arrives in Indiana covered head-to-toe in dirt, shocking evidence of what her impoverished life in the Dust Bowl is like.  Although Willa Faye has obviously lived a backwards life—she's completely unfamiliar with indoor plumbing and radio dramas!—Minnie enjoys having her lively cousin around.  Her life experiences remind Minnie of what's really important, an outlook she'll need to keep in mind more than ever with the skimpiest Christmas ever on the horizon.  Together, the girls resolve to make the holiday festive and happy for their family, no matter how little money they have or how dreary things get.  

Christmas After All by Kathryn Lasky is exactly what a holiday tale should be—it's positive, heartfelt, poignant, and uplifting.  In fact, the novel strikes a perfect balance between humor and seriousness.  Minnie's voice is pitch-perfect.  The Swift household, full of girls and giggles, is reminiscent of the March household, with all its familiar warmth and heart.  Just like in Little Women, the Swift sisters are stuffed with life and personality, exuding light despite the struggles they face.  Not only does Christmas After All show readers what living during the Great Depression was like, it also teaches valuable lessons about charity, hope, family, faith, and making the best of a bad situation.  This quick, edifying read has everything I adore in a holiday story.  I might have to make it one I revisit every December along with A Christmas Carol.  I enjoyed it that much! 

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a lot of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott)

Grade:  

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find 

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Ever since a bitter divorce propelled her mother to audition for a weight loss reality show, things at Savannah Alverson's home have been a little rough.  Her mom is still obsessed with the extreme diet/exercise methods she learned on the show and she won't stop harping on Savannah about her own extra weight.  Savannah could ignore the jabs more easily when Ashley, her sister and best friend, was by her side; now that Ashley has gone away for college, Savannah has to deal with it on her own.  She's never felt more alone.  

Savannah's senior year of high school is supposed to be magical, and it does start perking up when she meets "dorky-hot" George Smith.  She feels instantly comfortable with the kind band nerd, who seems to reciprocate her growing feelings.  Except sometimes, he runs a bit hot and cold.  What's up with that?  While Savannah tries to sort her George problem, she also has to deal with her mom's increasingly dangerous behavior, her sister's gaping absence, her boiling anger toward her dad, and a shocking news story that just might lead her to the college path that's meant to be hers.  Dealing with it all won't be easy.  In fact, this just might be the toughest year of Savannah's life ...

To Be Honest, a debut novel by Maggie Ann Martin, is a quick YA read that's entertaining and authentic.  Savannah is an admirable heroine—she's smart, funny, and confident but she also has some flaws and issues to keep her real.  The story she tells isn't anything fresh or original.  However, the tale definitely promotes having a positive body image.  Unlike her mom, Savannah isn't trying to lose weight; she's not even that concerned about being chubby.  She knows she's a little overweight, but that doesn't stop her from dating, being involved at school, getting top marks, or putting body-shamers in their places.  I love that about this book and hope that teen girls will get the message loud and clear.  Overall, then, I enjoyed this read that stays funny and positive even when Savannah's dealing with hard things.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Plus by Veronica Chambers, What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard, and Purge by Sarah Darer Littman)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (1 F-bomb, plus occasional, milder expletives), depictions of underage drinking, and mild innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Like the seedy, 1-star motel where she works, Juliet Townsend is "halfway to anywhere that mattered, stuck" (15).  Although she had grand dreams of leaving her hometown of Midway, Indiana, she's still there ten years after graduating high school.  Working as a hotel housekeeper, living with her mother, and seeing the same faces every day makes for a dreary, banal existence.  

Then, Madeline Bell walks into the Mid-Night Inn.  Wearing beautifully tailored clothes and a gleaming diamond on her finger, Juliet's old friend and rival looks like a movie star. What she's doing at a rundown hotel like the Mid-Night, Juliet can't fathom.  She doesn't get a chance to find out, either, as Madeline's dead body is found the next morning hanging from a railing.  Why would a beautiful, wealthy woman like that commit suicide?  When evidence of murder comes to light, Juliet finds herself a suspect in the killing of the woman to whom she's always played second fiddle.  In order to clear her name, the housekeeper will have to find out who really killed Madeline Bell before her own body is found swinging from the rafters.

Little Pretty Things, a murder mystery by Lori Rader-Day, tells a taut, unputdownable story about two very different women tied to the same dead-end town.  While the tale is depressing as all get-out, it's also an engrossing mystery that I couldn't stop reading.  That's saying something since I saw where the plot was heading almost from the start.  Even though it's predictable, the novel is a fast-paced page turner that will resonate with anyone who, like Juliet, feels stuck in a life she never saw herself living.  Despite some disturbing subject matter, I enjoyed this one.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other novels by Lori Rader-Day, including Under a Dark Sky and The Day I Died)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (no F-bombs), violence, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Handwriting analyst Anna Winger has only been in Parks, Indiana, for a few months when a shocking crime rocks the small community.  The body of a 24-year-old nanny has been discovered in a park restroom, her young charge missing.  It's assumed that the toddler was taken by his mother, perhaps to get him away from an abusive father.  To help determine what actually happened, Anna is called in to consult with local sheriff Russ Keller.  The single mother knows a lot about running away to protect a child from a violent parent—if the missing woman is running from an abusive ex, more power to her.

It's not long, however, before Anna's own son disappears.  Joshua has been unhappy in Parks.  Has he run back to their old town?  Or has something more sinister happened?  With two boys missing from town, the latter looks more likely.  Can Anna use her unique skill to help the police root out a murder and find the children?  What really happened to the kids?  Desperate to find Joshua, Anna will do anything she can to locate him, even reveal the secrets that could get her and her son killed.

After really enjoying Lori Rader-Day's newest novel, I found The Day I Died—the author's third—a bit of a disappointment.  While I enjoyed reading about the science of handwriting analysis, that wasn't enough to save this one from a meandering plot, unlikable characters, and a number of contrived story twists.  I finished the book because I definitely wanted to know what was going to happen, but in the end, I felt very meh about The Day I Died.  Bummer.

(Readalikes:  Um, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a few F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

"Breaking into the state's most secured unit would prove to be almost as difficult as breaking out" (13).

While studying literature in college, 25-year-old Laura Bates began volunteering with a literacy program at Cook County Jail in Chicago.  Although the environment could be scary, the work was deeply satisfying.  After earning a graduate degree, Bates continued to teach English courses in Indiana prisons.  As an assistant professor at Indiana State University, she longed to do more.  Crazy as it sounded, she desired to teach Shakespeare to the most unlikely students of all—those locked in solitary confinement.  Putting her career and her reputation at risk, Bates persevered with her goal and finally received permission to try her program in 2003 at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in downstate Indiana.  The prison's most dangerous residents—the worst of the worst—were housed in its Secure Housing Unit, commonly referred to as "Supermax".  Despite the fact that the prisoners were held in concrete isolation cells with thick, bunker-like doors and communication could only be had through a slit in the door, the program became a surprising success.

Over the decade Bates spent teaching Shakespeare in Supermax, one student especially stood out.  Larry Newton, a convicted murderer, remained in solitary confinement for ten years.  Still, his life changed when he started taking Bates' class.  Newton's general intelligence and surprising insight into 400-year-old plays shocked Dr. Bates and changed the way she read the Bard.  Newton, who declared that Shakespeare saved his life, went on to write workbooks and help teach other felons and juvenile offenders about the power of Shakespeare. 

Larry Newton's story is the focus of Shakespeare Saved My Life, Laura Bates' 2013 book about her experience teaching in solitary confinement.  It's a fascinating account that offers an incredible inside look at prison life and how inmates can be changed when encouraged to use their minds to examine and relate to literature.  Bates also discusses how her own life—both as a scholar and as a person—changed because of what she learned in solitary.  Overall, the book is interesting, thought-provoking, and touching.  I learned a lot from it.

Even if you're not interested in reading Shakespeare Saved My Life, you might want to check out this excellent Ted talk by Laura Bates.  It's only 15 minutes long, but it gives you a good idea of how her Shakespeare program worked in Supermax:

(Readalikes:  I've never really read anything on this topic before, so I'm not sure what to compare it to.  You?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a few F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, innuendo, and disturbing subject matter

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Libby Strout has already lived through her worst nightmare.  After a massive weight gain following her mother's sudden death, Libby had to be cut and craned out of her home.  The videos went viral, earning her the nickname "America's Fattest Teen."  A 300+ weight loss has given the 16-year-old some confidence and Libby's ready to give real life a do-over.  At 351 lbs., she knows she'll still be a target, but maybe this time, her classmates will look beyond her weight and get to know her for the smart, spunky person she really is. 

Jack Masselin goes to great pains to be the cool guy around school.  If the 17-year-old can fake it well enough, no one will know about the secrets he hides.  His prosopagnosia makes recognizing people—even his own family—almost impossible sometimes.  No one can know about this freaky little side effect of his screwed-up brain.  He hides it, as well as problems at home, by being smooth, charming, and sometimes, a class A jerk.

When a horrifying prank ends with Libby and Jack in detention together, the two make a surprising connection.  Libby doesn't trust Jack's new attentiveness and Jack's not sure his cool factor can survive an unwitting attraction to the resident fat girl.  Can two very different teens look past their own anger, anxiety, and prejudice to really see each other?  If they're honest with each other, can they finally be real with themselves?  

Holding Up the Universe, Jennifer Niven's newest contemporary YA, tells an affecting story about two teens searching for themselves in the confusing corridors of high school.  Libby, of course, is wholly sympathetic.  Bold and sassy, she's easy to cheer on, easy to root for.  Jack's initial jerkiness makes him a little less appealing, but his vulnerability and changed ways makes up for it in the end.  While Holding Up the Universe definitely has its dark moments, overall it's a bright, encouraging story that teaches important lessons about being yourself, being brave, and being kind.  The plot gets idealistic, also a tad unrealistic as Jack (eventually) shows way more maturity than any high school boy I've ever known.  A PG-13 version of this book would have been more enjoyable for me (and easier to recommend), but all in all, I enjoyed Holding Up the Universe.

(Readalikes:  Wonder by R.J. Palacio; Butter by Erin Jade Lange; Skinny by Donna Cooner; and A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, sexual innuendo, and depictions of illegal drug use and underage drinking

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Holding Up the Universe from the generous folks at Penguin Random House.  Thank you!