Once upon a time, 13-year-old Dellie belonged to a normal, happy family. But that was before the car accident that killed her little brother, Louis. Dellie's mom hasn't smiled since. She hides in her room, sleeping away her grief, while Dellie's father watches, helpless. As much as Dellie wants to run outside, flee the sorrow that permeates their apartment, she can't. Her mother's too paranoid to let her go anywhere other than school. Although Dellie craves freedom more than anything else, she knows deep down that she deserves the punishment; after all, it's her fault Louis is dead.
Things start to change when a hungry 5-year-old boy shows up at Dellie's door. She's seen Corey around enough to know his story - the kid lives with his deadbeat mother who often leaves him home alone while she goes out with different boyfriends. When she is at home, everyone can hear her yelling at the boy and the bruises she leaves all over his body are difficult for anyone to miss. Although she knows she shouldn't get involved, Dellie can't ignore the needy child who reminds her so much of her brother. She failed Louis, but she vows not to let Corey down.
The more Dellie gets involved, the riskier the situation becomes. She's seen Corey's mom in a temper before and it's not a pretty sight. Still, she has to do something. In the meantime, she has to deal with her best friend, who's suddenly not speaking to her, and Michael, who, surprisingly enough, is. She's been crushing on him forever and now he wants to hang out, something Dellie's mother will never approve of. How can Dellie convince her parents to give her the freedom she needs to grow up? How can she help Corey when she couldn't help Louis? How can she do what she knows is right when the thought of stepping up gives her panic attacks? Most importantly, will life ever be normal and happy again?
The Trouble with Half A Moon (available January 2011), a debut novel by Danette Vigilante, is a poignant story about grief, compassion and courage. With its inner-city, housing project setting, it's no surprise that the book touches on disturbing subjects like domestic violence, depression, poverty, and addiction. Still, it's a hopeful tale that promises redemption through kindness, understanding and faith. While this sometimes gritty tale carries an important message, the story suffers from choppy writing, a here-there-and-everywhere plotline, and characters who don't get the development they deserve. Vigilante's trying to cover so much territory that the book lacks the focus necessary to make it truly effective. A little streamlining would have made a huge difference here. As is, the book makes for a very disappointing read. Unless Vigilante's skills improve big time by her next book, I won't be reading her again.
(Readalikes: Reminded me a little of Bang! by Sharon Flake)
Grade: C-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for mature subject matter (although it has no profanity or sex)
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of The Trouble With Half A Moon from the generous folks at Putnam.

Three children. Three treasures. One big adventure.

Hannah, Frederick and Giuseppe are strangers living in the same city whose lives are about to converge. Each of the kids harbor a secret desire: Hannah hopes to cure her bedridden father, Frederick longs to make journeyman so he can open his own clockwork shop, and Giuseppe just wants to flee his cruel padrone and head back to Italy. They are impossible goals for a hotel maid, an apprentice, and a street musician, but when each of the kids finds a mysterious treasure, their goals actually seem achievable. Rumors of hidden money could mean the best doctors for Hannah's father; a valuable Magnus head could complete Frederick's automaton, a creation sure to earn him fame and fortune; and a magic violin is bringing in enough money to satisfy Giuseppe's employer as well as purchase a boat ticket. Only secrets never stay secret for very long - as desperate as the trio are to hold onto their gems, someone's even more determined to take them.

When, by chance, the kids meet, a fast friendship forms. As they share their stories, they realize that the only people they can really count on are each other. By working together they just might be able to solve the mysteries of their individual treasures, making all their dreams come true in the process. What seems simple, though, soon turns into a grand adventure, forcing the children into face-offs with everything from street thugs to a cougar to mechanical bodyguards. Getting the things they most desire won't be easy for the determined trio, it may even be impossible, but they have to try - for their families, themselves and each other.

The Clockwork Three, Matthew J. Kirby's exciting debut for middle graders, mixes a whole bunch of genres (historical fiction, fantasy, adventure, steampunk, etc.) to create a thrilling ride sure to capture the imaginations of readers of all ages. Empathetic characters, solid writing and an intriguing plotline make the story both compelling and moving. While the tale touches on dark subjects (poverty, child labor, kidnapping, and other issues common at the turn-of-the-century), it remains a hopeful, magical tale of children gathering the courage to change their own lives. The ending offers enough mystery for several books, which I sincerely hope are forthcoming. And soon.

(Readalikes: Reminded me a teensy bit of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. Can you think of any others?)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for subject matter best suited for older children

To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of The Clockwork Three from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thank you!

Remember when I boldly declared Incarceron to be my "hands down favorite book of the year"? Well, I almost had to retract that statement when I finished Matched by Ally Condie. While the novel didn't blow me away as completely as Incarceron, it seduced me so subtlely that I can't stop thinking about it. So, while Matched may not finish first in my 2010 favorites race, it earns a close, close second because, let me tell you, I have a serious case of book love here. It's not so much about the storyline since the novel follows a fairly typical dystopian pattern - it's more about the way Condie spins the yarn. It's got a soft, old-fashioned cadence that makes this futuristic drama read like a fairy tale.
Matched takes place in a world not so unlike our own. In fact, it's been created from the ruins of the society that came before, a population which destroyed itself by overusing technology, natural resources, and independent thought. Having learned from the mistakes of their ancestors, the Officials now control everything in the Society: meals are prepared based on an individual's carefully-calculated caloric needs; careers are assigned according to whom statistics deem most able; Aberrations are kept out to ensure a pure gene pool; lives are terminated at 80 so the elderly never feel useless; and girls and boys are precisely Matched to others whose histories indicate an ability to produce healthy offspring. Everyone follows the rules for the good of their world. After all, "This is as close to perfect as any society has ever managed to get" (114).

Since the Officials never make mistakes, 17-year-old Cassia Reyes expects them to choose her a perfect match. And they do. No one is better suited to her than Xander Carrow, the boy who's been her best friend since childhood. Most girls are given mates from other Provinces - Cassia's ecstatic to be Matched not only to someone from her own city, but to someone she already knows and trusts. She couldn't be happier. Until another face pops up on her matching screen. Another face with which she's familiar. Although the Officials blame the error on a practical joker, assuring Cassia the rulebreaker will be severely punished, the whole situation unnerves her. Seeing the faces of two boys on the Matching screen opens Cassia's mind to something she's never even considered before: the possibility of choosing something - or someone - for herself.
The more Cassia tries to convince herself that Xander is the only Match for her, the more her thoughts fly to the other boy. Ky Markham came from the Outer Provinces as a child and has always been secretive. What does he know of the world outside the Society? Why do his ideas cause her heart to soar, her mind to flood with unimaginable prospects? His ideas challenge and endanger everything she knows. So, why does she want more of them? More of him? The Society has already chosen the perfect man for Cassia. She can't break all the rules for something as illogical as love. Or can she?
While Matched lacks the complexity and nuance of other dystopian epics, it has a refreshing frankness that makes it more variegated than it seems at first glance. Condie asks all the usual questions, but also digs deeper, questioning things like the cost of abandoning creativity and passion in pursuit of greater efficiency or the effects of choice on the health of a human being. Not that the story is all deep, philosophical pondering. It's not. It's also an enthralling romance disguised as a tense, suspenseful adventure. I mean, really, what's not to love? Because, truly, I adored every word.
(Readalikes: Although it has a gentler touch, Matched reminded me of other dystopian classics like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood)
Grade: A-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for intense scenes
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Matched from the generous folks at Dutton. Thank you!