by Jenna Scott Therea Toten’s The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B created a lot of conflicting feelings in my heart of hearts.
On the one hand, as someone with anxiety, I related heavily to Adam Spencer Ross (known as Batman to some) and his struggle to cope with his OCD. I noticed a lot of similar feelings of guilt and stress regarding his split-family to which I am known to succumb. And, to a certain extent, I even saw myself in his quest to prove himself worthy of a girl in his support group. But something that stuck out to me, as a gay woman with a library almost exclusively consisting of female and queer protagonists, was the subtle microaggressions against women. Adam infantilizes the women in his life: his girlfriend, his mom, and his stepmother all need to be protected, just like his little brother. If we ascribe these to his OCD symptoms, and look at the rest of the treatment of women, we still find issues. The three girls in his support group are constantly making snide comments behind each other’s backs, which the novel barely even recognizes as a problem. The attribution of meaningless traits to girls really stood out to me. Adam doesn’t sit with his legs crossed, because that’s what girls do, and he doesn’t cry, because he’s a boy. The book never addresses these uncomfortably subconscious issues with women in any way, continuing the harsh cycle of misogynism in a small, yet not inconsequential, way. All in all, I actually enjoyed Room 13B. Its plot, while derivative and not at all original, served its purpose well as a vehicle for its characters. Its portrayal of OCD was not at all demonizing like certain modern media and the characters were likable. But it’s important to notice and critique the subtle ways in which we, as a culture, demean and devalue women.
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BY LIZA STRANG The coming of age story of senior Brett "Stick" Patterson as he struggles to find a balance between making his father happy and finding his own happiness, and how his life changes upon meeting the genius nerd of the school, Preston Underwood, during a bullying incident instigated by Brett's friends on the football team. Eventually Preston teaches Stick about courage, not caring what others think of you, and doing what's right. As Stick learns more about Preston's life and points of view he finds himself making choices about problems he had been avoiding in hopes of changing his life.The book centers around Brett's conflicts with his team mates as he realizes the shallow relationship the share and with his father, an alcoholic since the death of Brett's mother.
With simple syntax and sentence structure, but more mature themes than are generally found in JV fiction, this story is focused towards high school aged readers. The relatively easy writing makes the book a viable choice for readers of any level. Though the characters and character relationships were not entirely believable in my opinion, they were representative of the sort of views a teenager might have and help to paint the overall themes of the book. "Stick" contains many topics that would be relatable to its YA audience such as single parent families, the pressure of getting into college with a scholarship, and bullying. I'm not going to say that this is my new personal favorite book, or anything, but I will say that it was a pretty enjoyable read and would be good for a large variety of readers. BY SAM PAULEY “My brother is still fighting, and his screams slice right through me. I know then that I will hear them over and over again, echoing in every hour of every day until I am dead or I make it right. I know it.” Laia is a Scholar, a label which means prejudice and persecution under the Martial Empire. When her grandparents are murdered and her brother is taken by the Masks, she's determined to get revenge. She joins the Resistance, who send her as a spy into Blackcliff Military Academy, the very place where Masks are trained. Under her new identity as a slave, she's tasked to spy on the Commander in return for help breaking her brother out of prison. She isn't brave. She isn't fierce, she isn't fearless or charismatic or brilliant or anything like her parents. But for her brother, she's willing to put her life on the line.
Elias is top of his class as Blackcliff. He's son of the Commander, and one of the greatest soldiers ever to pass through the Academy. And he's planning to desert. But when a mysterious Augur claims him as one of four Aspirants competing in the Trials to become the next Emperor, deserting acquires new complications. No one hates the Empire as much as Elias, and no one at the Academy can understand his dreams of escape. No one, that is, but a certain Scholar slave working for his mother. I anticipated this book for months, ever since I got that 50-page preview from Barnes and Noble. When I finally got my hands on the real thing, I read the first chapter. Then, because of that dreadful thing called life, I put it away for a day or two. But once I got back to it, I was finished in a day. The setting is beautiful, will elements drawn from Ancient Rome. The student banter is well-written, and it never feels like you're reading an adult trying to be a teenager. In addition to Elias and Laia, all of the side characters were allowed to grow and develop on their own, creating a colorful, rich cast to fall in love with. Laia's arc is perfect. She doesn't start out a kick-butt YA heroine, but a scared girl willing to do anything for her brother. At points, I genuinely wondered whether she would make it out of a situation intact. And the love between her and Elias seemed to have genuine chemistry, something I find rare in YA novels. Yes, there was a love triangle-- love square-- love web-- love something, involving many of the characters, but this complex net only served to enhance the plot. Still a lot of scenes left me wanting to know more about this world, more about Laia and Elias, more about how things end than the final chapter was willing to give. The world and the characters created by Tahir were so captivating and complete, I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel. BY HANNAH VERMONT
BY HANNAH VERMONT
BY DANIEL RUSSEL |
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